Queen Mary has been awarded a Leverhulme research project grant for a 3-year project beginning in September 2024 entitled ‘The ethics of linguistic integration: realities, expectations, prospects’.
Led by Professor Leigh Oakes from the School of Languages, Linguistics and Film at QMUL, this collaborative project will also involve Yael Peled (Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity and the Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences), Huw Lewis (Department of International Politics, Aberystwyth University) and Gwennan Higham (Welsh Department, Swansea University), and will include two PhD studentships, one based at QMUL, the other at Aberystwyth University.
In an age of increased immigration, learning the language of the host community is commonly portrayed as the key to successful integration. However, little attention has been devoted to the practical and moral implications of linguistic integration for newcomers and their host societies, including in settings where more than one language can serve as a language of integration. By employing an innovative interdisciplinary approach to examine policies, experiences and perspectives on linguistic integration in England, Quebec and Wales, this project will address significant gaps in scholarship to provide the first systemic study of the ethics of linguistic integration in democratic societies.
The project will include a fully funded PhD studentship on linguistic integration in Quebec, information about which is available here.