The Handbook of Linguistic Human Rights - (Blackwell Handbooks in Linguistics) by Tove Skutnabb-Kangas & Robert Phillipson

Book Synopsis

A groundbreaking new work that sheds light on case studies of linguistic human rights around the world, raising much-needed awareness of the struggles of many peoples and communities

The first book of its kind, the Handbook of Linguistic Human Rights presents a diverse range of theoretically grounded studies of linguistic human rights, exemplifying what linguistic justice is and how it might be achieved. Through explorations of ways in which linguistic human rights are understood in both national and international contexts, this innovative volume demonstrates how linguistic human rights are supported or violated on all continents, with a particular focus on the marginalized languages of minorities and Indigenous peoples, in industrialized countries and the Global South.

Organized into five parts, this volume first presents approaches to linguistic human rights in international and national law, political theory, sociology, economics, history, education, and critical theory. Subsequent sections address how international standards are promoted or impeded and cross-cutting issues, including translation and interpreting, endangered languages and the internet, the impact of global English, language testing, disaster situations, historical amnesia, and more. This essential reference work:

• Explores approaches to linguistic human rights in countries of great demographic diversity and conflict
• Covers cases of linguistic human rights in the Americas, China, Europe, North Africa, India, Nepal and New Zealand, including international minorities, such as the Kurds and the Roma, and the Deaf worldwide.
• Illustrates how education worldwide has often blocked off minority languages by not offering mother-tongue medium education
• Presents and assesses conventions, declarations, and recommendations that recognize the rights of Indigenous peoples and minorities.
• Includes a selection of short texts that present additional existential evidence of linguistic human rights.

Edited by two renowned leaders in the field, the Handbook of Linguistic Human Rights is an ideal resource for undergraduate and graduate students of language and law, sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, language policy, language education, indigenous studies, language rights, human rights, and globalization.

From the Back Cover

The first book of its kind, The Handbook of Linguistic Human Rights presents a diverse range of theoretically grounded studies of linguistic human rights, exemplifying what linguistic justice is and how it might be achieved. Through explorations of ways in which linguistic human rights are understood in both national and international contexts, this innovative volume demonstrates how linguistic human rights are supported or violated on all continents, with a particular focus on the marginalized languages of minorities and Indigenous peoples, in industrialized countries and the Global South.

Organized into five parts, this volume first presents approaches to linguistic human rights in international and national law, political theory, sociology, economics, history, education, and critical theory. Subsequent sections address how international standards are promoted or impeded and cross-cutting issues, including translation and interpreting, endangered languages and the internet, the impact of global English, language testing, disaster situations, historical amnesia, and more. This essential reference work explores approaches to linguistic human rights in countries of great demographic diversity and conflict through case studies from the Americas, China, Europe, North Africa, India, Nepal and New Zealand, including international minorities, such as the Kurds and the Roma, and the Deaf worldwide. In a critical contribution to scholarship in this area, this volume presents and assesses conventions, declarations, and recommendations that recognize the rights of Indigenous peoples and minorities.

Edited by two renowned field leaders, The Handbook of Linguistic Human Rights is an ideal resource for undergraduate and graduate students of language and law, sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, language policy, language education, indigenous studies, language rights, human rights, and globalization.

About the Author

Tove Skutnabb-Kangas is Adjunct Professor Emerita at Åbo Akademi University, Finland. Her research focuses on linguistic human rights, linguistic genocide, mother-tongue-based multilingual education, the subtractive spread of English, revitalization of Indigenous languages, and the relationship between biodiversity and linguistic and cultural diversity. She is the (co-)author or editor of some 50 books and over 400 scientific articles. She was awarded the UNESCO Linguapax Prize in 2003.

Robert Phillipson is Professor Emeritus at Copenhagen Business School, Denmark. His research focuses on the role of English worldwide, language policy, linguistic justice, language pedagogy, and multilingualism. He co-edited the four-volume Language Rights with Tove Skutnabb-Kangas. His most influential books are Linguistic Imperialism, Linguistic Imperialism Continued, and English-only Europe? Challenging Language Policy. He was awarded the UNESCO Linguapax Prize in 2010.