Description
Book SynopsisIn the midst of an international crisis in migration policy – widely referred to as a ‘refugee crisis’ – this book brings together timely analyses of the manifold and yet specific ways in which migration affects globalized societies, set against the background of the rise of nationalist and populist movements. The voices of migrants and refugees are rarely heard in this context: usually, they are debated about, summarized and reported but their agency is denied. Each contribution to this volume adds an empirical perspective to our understanding of how language relates to migration in a specific national context. The chapters use innovative combinations of multimodal, qualitative and quantitative analyses to examine a broad range of genres and data related to the voices of migrants and reporting about migrants.
Trade ReviewThe current political discourses on processes of globalization, migration and social participation capitalize on feelings of fear and insecurity. They demonize ‘the other’, thereby turning the spotlight away from the systemic problems of social inequality and poverty. Based on concrete cases, this ‘must read’ book deconstructs the covert and overt mechanisms of migration control, exclusion and discrimination.
* Piet Van Avermaet, Ghent University, Belgium *
Controlling migration is not just about borders and enforcement, it is also about discourses of control and of resilience, struggle and belonging. This book offers a rich set of case studies that critically illustrate the close links between power, politics and discourse in the governance of migration. It is an essential read for researchers and scholars but also for interested citizens, the third sector and politicians.
* Anna Triandafyllidou, Ryerson University, Canada *
...this socially-engaged contribution to the sociolinguistics of mobility and displacement is very welcome.
-- James Simpson, University of Leeds, UK * Language and Politics 20:6 *
Rheindorf and Wodak have succeeded in assembling a diverse yet cohesive collection of sociolinguistic studies on migration control, likely to interest a broad readership. This includes those interested in the language-migration research intersections, or more generally in the interplay between language and policy making (both including but also more broadly than just language policy) [...] The range of methodological and conceptual approaches included offers a valuable showcase for emerging sociolinguist researchers, beyond those interested specifically in migration.
-- Laura Smith-Khan, University of Technology Sydney, Australia * Journal of Sociolinguistics, 2020 *
While each chapter provides a unique and informative perspective on various topics, the volume presents a unified analysis of the relationship between language, mobility, and institutions. The authors fulfill the goal they established when compiling the volume: to evaluate how migration operates within the context of globalization
with a focus on migrant voices.
-- Jaycee Scanlon, Salisbury University, USA * Language in Society 50 (2021) *
Table of ContentsChapter 1. Markus Rheindorf & Ruth Wodak: Sociolinguistic Perspectives on Migration Control: An Introduction
Chapter 2. Kristof Savski: Migrants from other States of the Former Yugoslavia in Slovene Language Policy: Past, Present and Future
Chapter 3. Tony Capstick: Resisting Discriminatory Immigration Procedures and Practices in the UK and Pakistan: A Discourse Ethnographic Approach to Exploring Migration Literacies
Chapter 4. Anna De Fina: Biography as Political Tool: The Case of the Dreamers
Chapter 5. Jo Angouri, Marina Paraskevaidi and Federico Zannoni: Moving for a Better Life: Negotiating Fitting in and Belonging in Modern Diasporas
Chapter 6. Markus Rheindorf and Ruth Wodak: Building “Fortress Europe”: Legitimizing Exclusion from Basic Human Rights
Chapter 7. Iair G. Or and Elana Shohamy: “Youth should be sent here to absorb Zionism”: Jewish Farmers and Thai Migrant Workers in Southern Israel
