Short description:

This innovative, interdisciplinary course textbook is designed to provide the who, what, where, when, why, and how of the intersections of language, inequality, and social justice in North America, using the applied linguistic anthropology (ALA) framework.

Long description:

This innovative, interdisciplinary course textbook is designed to provide the who, what, where, when, why, and how of the intersections of language, inequality, and social justice in North America, using the applied linguistic anthropology (ALA) framework.

Written in accessible language and at a level equally legible for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, this text connects theory and practice by sketching out relevant historical background, introducing theoretical and conceptual underpinnings, illustrating with case studies, discussing a wide range of key issues, and explaining research methodologies. Using a general-to-specialized content structure, the expert authors then show readers how to apply these principles and lessons in communities in the real world, to become advocates and change agents in the realm of language and social justice.

With an array of useful pedagogical resources and practical tools including discussion questions and activities, reflections and vignettes, further reading and a glossary, along with additional online resources for instructors, this is the essential text for students from multiple perspectives across linguistics, applied linguistics, linguistic anthropology, and beyond.

"Rooted in a profound commitment to engaged scholarship, Avineri and Baquedano-López?s An Introduction to Language and Social Justice is a pathbreaking contribution which powerfully synthesizes diverse insights and generously offers multiple entry points for dynamic praxis linking communication to the creation of more just societies."

Jonathan Rosa, Stanford University, USA

"As a comprehensive review of the tenets of language and social justice research, An Introduction to Language and Social Justice adeptly synthesizes a heretofore heterogeneous collection of scholarship into one unified text. The book is expertly designed as a pedagogical tool with social justice principles at its base."

Robin Conley Riner, Marshall University, USA

?This volume stands out for its interdisciplinary perspective which has made it an essential text for students and researchers from multiple perspectives across linguistics, applied linguistics, linguistic anthropology, and beyond. Needless to say that for scholars, students and activists seeking to link communication to social transformation, this book certainly offers vital guideposts for that important journey. In all, the book offers an accessible yet conceptually rich and actionable framework for understanding language inequities and collaborating for social transformation, making it a valuable resource for advancing the intersections of language studies and social justice.?

Abutaleb Iranmehr, Shahrood University of Technology, Iran in Social Semiotics (27 August 2024)

Table of Contents:

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Tables

Preface

Chapter 1: Applied Linguistic Anthropology and Social Justice

Chapter 2: Centering Language: A Lexicon for Language and Social Justice Issues (LSJIs)

Chapter 3: What Is: Applied Linguistic Anthropological Methods for LSJI Inquiry

Chapter 4: What Has Been: Deepening the Connections between Past and Present

Chapter 5: What Could Be: Relationships, Aspirations, and Actions

Chapter 6: Now What