Critical Perspectives on Language Education

The studies in this volume investigate how multilingual education involves a critical engagement with questions of identity and culture, and a movement towards new ways of being and belonging. It addresses previously under-explored issues, in particular the integration of theories like ‘thirdness’, and practices of language education and maintenance with relevance to the Asia-Pacific region. The analyses reveal the delicate balance of interests of all stakeholders and offer detailed insights into the reality of multilingual education, with specific examples of Chinese, English, Japanese and Tamil. In a globalised world, effective language education has become increasingly important, and the studies presented here have the potential to inform and advance evidence-based multilingual education through adding important dimensions of theoretical exploration and fresh empirical resources.

In learning a second language, neither do you fully accommodate yourself to the target culture nor merely stick to your original self. Rather, you engage in negotiations to create your new identities in “the third place.” Critical Perspectives on Language Education explores the current problems of multilingual education from this new angle, with concrete examples from the Asia-Pacific region. This volume provides a number of valuable insights both for educational policies and pedagogical practice in the face of the highly dynamic and fluid nature of cross-cultural interact
ions today.
Nobuyuki Hino, Osaka University, Japan