Description:
This edited volume will explore linguistic apartheid, or the disappearance of certain languages through cultural genocide by dominant European colonizers and American neoconservative groups. It will trace back this form of apartheid from the colonial era to the English-only movement in the United States. Contributors demonstrate the way and extent to which such actions have affected the cultural life, learning process, identity, and the subjective and material conditions of linguistically and historically marginalized groups, including students. Further, they propose alternative ways to counter linguistic apartheid that minority groups and students have faced in schools and society at large.
Review Quotes:
'Much has been written about language loss and of restrictive language policies in the United States, but what makes this book important is its broad sociocultural lens rooted in a postcolonial perspective, as well as the analysis of local US cases within a global framework of English hegemony. Bringing together critical scholars from around the world, the book offers a unique study of the historical and economic roots of English only policies in the United States and its effects on the material conditions of minoritized populations.' - Ofelia García, City University of New York, USA