Linguistic justice at the university

The aim of this sabbatical is to complete the writing of a monograph on linguistic justice in universities. For some time now, questions about the use and status of different languages in higher education have preoccupied university administrators and policymakers, as well as to researchers, teachers, administrators, and students across a wide range of geographical and disciplinary areas. This sabbatical project combines sociolinguistic and linguistic justice theories and methodologies with two main aims: (1) to provide an empirical account of language-related tensions in universities, and (2) to develop a framework for assessing such tensions. As such, the project aims to provide new ways of thinking about and responding to frictions around language in higher education, which have been on the rise in recent years. Looking at the socio-political side of language, the project advances the idea that the struggle for resources (both material and symbolic) underlies much of the current tensions between different stakeholders in higher education. Such struggles and tensions are constantly recreated and brought to life through language. The sabbatical will be key to complete the writing of a monograph, under contract with Cambridge University Press. It will allow me to collaborate closely with Associate Prof. Matteo Bonotti (Monash University), and explore in-depth a number of theoretical questions in the field of linguistic justice.