Language and Migration

Language and Migration provides a lively introduction to the relationship between language and migration. Drawing on real-world case studies from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and New Zealand, this book investigates the language and literacy practices which sustain, extend, or curb different forms of migration. Individual trajectories, family networks, and societal level policy are examined through an interdisciplinary perspective on empires and colonialism, transnationalism, and globalization. Exploring the linguistic diversity which has resulted from voluntary and forced migration, this book covers theories from migration studies, applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, sociology, and education studies, and offers broad coverage of different contexts of migration across the globe. It provides students and teachers with:

• Migration theories to interrogate current thinking on human mobility.








• Concepts from applied linguistics combined with other disciplines to explore complex migration experiences in countries of origin and destination.








• A critical understanding of language and power in economic migration and forced migration.








• An introduction to the role of language in broader debates about the impact of migration on national and international policies such as international development, global security, and education.








• Practical guidance on using discourse analysis to identify how migrant identities are constructed in the media and how this affects our understandings of asylum, immigration, and social cohesion.

Featuring a range of activities and case studies in each chapter, Language and Migration is essential reading for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students studying this topic.

"This thought-provoking interactive volume tackles big themes in relation to a key current concern, human mobility, and what it entails for language. It has ambitious breadth of coverage, with topics ranging from colonialism and globalisation to literacy and multilingualism, online and off. This is matched by a wide-ranging geographical scope, as we travel from ancient Polynesia to contemporary urban UK via Mexico and Pakistan. In all, the work presents a satisfying and distinctive treatment of migration and language."

James Simpson, University of Leeds, UK

"Timely and accessible. Language and Migration presents powerfully curated global examples that ask us to engage critically with the politics of language in a world characterised by movement. An important resource for understanding and working with diversity."

Kerryn Dixon, Wits School of Education, South Africa

"In this volume Capstick combines sociolinguistic analysis with analytical tools and insights from a variety of disciplines including anthropology, geography, sociology and educational studies to illuminate the complex interactions between language practices and migration, and between language policies and wider political processes. This book will constitute an invaluable resource for scholars and students interested in language and migration."

Anna De Fina, Georgetown University, USA