Description
Book SynopsisThis book presents the narratives of four Taiwanese young women, all proficient in English, set against the background of the dynamics of multilingualism in Taiwan. It chronicles their strategies and struggles when utilizing cultural goods – in this case their linguistic resources – to differentiate themselves within Taiwanese society. The study provides a uniquely bottom-up perspective by focusing intently on just four focal participants, in order to gain an in-depth understanding of how the intersection of socioeconomic status, age and gender shape their identities, experiences and practices. The book highlights the impact of neoliberalism on the women’s attempts at distinction and is a timely contribution to debates on multilingualism and issues of gender and socioeconomic status.
Trade ReviewLearning global languages compels learners to thrive in today’s neoliberal society. It also brings emotional struggles, desires, and ambitions, forming an integral part of learner identity and life trajectory. Mark Seilhamer achieves distinction by vividly narrating the life stories of four young women at a prestigious junior college in Taiwan.
* Ryuko Kubota, University of British Columbia, Canada *
Four affectionate portraits of young Taiwanese women lie at the heart of this warm-hearted yet incisive ethnography of identity, distinction, and language learning. The intimately narrated dreams, struggles, and accomplishments of these women as they travel towards adulthood in globalizing Taiwan offer a much-needed human face to the theory of language as symbolic capital.
* Joseph Sung-Yul Park, National University of Singapore, Singapore *
Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu’s notion of distinction, Seilhamer masterfully takes his readers through the distinction-making processes of four young Taiwanese women situated at the intersection of gender and social class. Their narratives of strategy and struggle in pursuit of linguistic resources are an apt reminder of how language indexes power and stratifies individuals in a neoliberal world.
* Peter De Costa, Michigan State University, USA *
Seilhamer indeed is a talented storyteller [...] Not only has he convincingly retold the stories of his participants “in a manner that truly allows the reader to get to know each of them” (p. 50); he has also impressively parsed
out the underlying motives, desires, and insecurities of these individuals to want to be distinctive. [...] A wide range of sociolinguistic and linguistic anthropological courses featuring symbolic capital and world Englishes would find the book a valuable resource.
-- Spencer C. Chen, University of California, Los Angeles, USA * Journal of Sociolinguistics, November 2020 *
Mark Fifer Seilhamer’s longitudinal study of young Taiwanese women as they hone, then wield, their linguistic capital to find their ways in their worlds is an exemplary example of narrative inquiry [...] Even...readers who are not familiar with Taiwan’s educational system or gender-related issues should find this book, which brings the struggles of extraordinary women to light, an engaging read.
* Gwyn Helverson, Osaka University, Japan, GALE 2023 Vol. 15 *
[This book] delivers in-depth individual narratives of the life trajectories of four young Taiwanese women, all of
whom have strived to achieve distinction at least partly by cultivating linguistic skills and multilingual selves before, during, and after their studies at a junior college specializing in foreign languages.
-- Feng Ye, The University of Chicago, USA * Language in Society 50 (2021) *
Table of ContentsCh 1. Introducing Distinction
Ch 2. Processes Involved in Achieving Distinction
Ch 3. Neoliberalism and English in Taiwan
Ch 4. Narrative and its Use in this Study
Ch 5. The Intellectual – Gigi’s Story
Ch 6. The Social Butterfly – Audrey’s Story
Ch 7. The Ideal Neoliberal Subject – Rachel’s Story
Ch 8. The Competitor – Shannon’s Story
Ch 9. Cross-Participant Analysis and Conclusions
Ch 10. Postscript: Where are they now?
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