Description
Book SynopsisIn today’s globalised world, large-scale migration is the norm. A contributing factor to the successful settlement of migrants is the ability to access work and economic security. This book focuses on the lived experiences of migrants who (try to) access the workplace, and explores the barriers and support they encounter. The editors bring together studies which look at the ways in which inclusion and exclusion from the workplace are done linguistically from historical, discourse analytical, narrative and language assessment perspectives. The chapters represent an innovative, holistic, intersectional and multidisciplinary approach to the subject, and illustrate a wide range of analytical methods and theoretical tools for the study of multilingualism and professional identity. The rich empirical data contained in the book cover a variety of professional contexts and countries, and the book will appeal to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
Trade ReviewThis expert editorial team present a rich range of research from diverse temporal, geographical and linguistic contexts. Qualitative analysis of workplace interactions explores migrants’ lived experience and the complex relationship between language policy and actual practices. At the forefront of workplace discourse research, the editors strongly advocate an activist agenda for sociolinguistics and applied linguistics research. * Janet Holmes, Professor Emerita, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand *
This book offers rich insights into the various ways in which language matters in the working life of migrants. The fine-grained ethnographic and historical contributions remind us of the crucial political dimension of language and its impact on the lives of people on the move. The volume constitutes a valuable resource for sociolinguists, applied linguists and discourse analysts. * Alexandre Duchêne, University of Fribourg, Switzerland *
This outstanding volume employs interdisciplinary and critical sociolinguistic, theoretical and methodological frameworks to explore the debate over which language competences and ‘skills’ might be regarded as adequate or not, by whom and why – especially in the case of migrant workers. It becomes apparent that the workplace continues to be one of the salient contexts which perpetuates societal power asymmetries. This book is a must read for scholars and laypeople alike who are concerned about the rising inequalities in our globalized societies. * Ruth Wodak, Emerita Professor, Lancaster University, UK and University of Vienna, Austria *
Table of ContentsContributors
Chapter 1. Jo Angouri, Julie Kerekes and Minna Suni: Migration and Language at Work: Current Trends and Future Opportunities for Multidisciplinary Research
Chapter 2. Florian Hiss: Contextualising Diversity, Work and Mobility across Time: Cases from Norway's 'High North'
Chapter 3. Nóra Schleicher: 'Doctor Johnny': The Discursive Construction of the Medical Doctor as an Immigrant
Chapter 4. Fiona O'Neill: Multilingual Professionals, Monolingual Contexts and Multicultural Mindsets: Towards an Intercultural Mindset
Chapter 5. Marta Kirilova: 'Getting the Job Done': Conventional Expressions as Shibboleths in Multilingual Job Interviews
Chapter 6. Marja Seilonen and Minna Suni: Assessing and Analysing Health Care Finnish: Test Performance and Lived Experiences
Chapter 7. Julie Kerekes and Jeanne Sinclair: The Role of Soft Skills in Vocational ESL: Their Potential to (Dis)Empower Migrant Employment Seekers
Chapter 8. Johanna Tovar: Impression Management Games: Language and Mobility among Southern European Migrants in a London Call Centre
Chapter 9. Art Babayants: Understanding the Immigrant Actor through a Multilingual Lens
Chapter 10. Kristina Humonen and Jo Angouri: ‘[They] thought I didn’t know how to be a chef because I didn’t speak Finnish’: Gatekeeping and Professional Role Enactment in a Multilingual Kitchen Context
Index
