Language in Colonial and Postcolonial Contexts

The LCPC Research Group investigates the dynamics of language in colonial and postcolonial contexts, as well as the ongoing debates about decolonization. Our work spans the micro, meso, and macro levels of society and addresses, among other areas, language variation and change, multilingualism, ideology and use, language shift, and revitalization efforts. We aim to examine how language practices and policies have been shaped by colonial legacies and how they continue to evolve within postcolonial contexts.

Interdisciplinary Approach

The group adopts an interdisciplinary perspective to integrate insights from various branches of linguistics (e.g., sociolinguistics, historical linguistics, pragmatics, applied linguistics) and neighboring disciplines such as anthropology, history, political science, and cultural studies. This approach allows us to comprehensively understand the multifaceted role of language in (post)colonial and decolonial contexts.

Key objectives (scientific and impact)

To discuss ongoing research within the LCPC field and provide constructive peer feedback.
To strengthen inter-research group collaboration within the ACLC
To deepen collaboration among scholars and institutions from both the Global South and the Global North.
To pursue funding and publication opportunities that support the research activities of group members.

Impact

The LCPC Research Group fosters interdisciplinary exchange and sustained engagement with scholars from the Global South and Global North. We work to shape inclusive, critically informed research agendas, promote dialogue with educational institutions and support innovative theoretical and methodological work in the field of language and education.

Events

We meet once a month, alternating between sessions on an internal project and meetings with an external participant. Our threefold goal is to receive personalized feedback on individual projects, work toward joint publications, and collaborate on national and transnational funding applications.

Coordinator and group members

Coordinator: Henning Radke

Group Members:

Bertus van Rooy (UvA)
Desiree Stronczek (research intern MA Language and Society)
Dick Smakman (U Leiden)
Eva Daussá (UvA)
Horst Simon (FU Berlin, project Multilingual Politeness Namibia)
Janel Zoske (FU Berlin, project Multilingual Politeness in Namibia)
Johanna Brandt (research intern MA Language and Society)
Laura Eggimann (research intern MA Language and Society)
Ljiljana Kherawi (research intern BA Linguistics)
Maria Martha Nikijuluw (U Ghent, Kerko project Indonesia)
Marianne-Zappen Thomson (University of Namibia)
Ronel Wasserman (UvA)
Suzanne Aalberse (UvA)
Ulrike Vogl (U Ghent, Kerko project Indonesia)
Wang Zhenyu (University of Cape Town, PhD project on Ownership and Chinese as a Foreign Language in South Africa)