Decolonising Multilingualism

A hybrid, short academic text encompassing different genres of writing and spanning the field of social justice

In this groundbreaking text, Alison Phipps pulls together ethical approaches to researching multilingually in contexts of pain, conflict and crisis; the position of the researcher; and the question of multilingualism and anglonormativity. It is both global and local in scale, ranging from Scotland to Ghana, Aotearoa / New Zealand to Sudan.

Alison Phipps is UNESCO Chair in Refugee Integration through Languages and the Arts, and Professor of Languages and Intercultural Studies at the University of Glasgow, UK. She writes and publishes widely in both academic publications and the media, and is a respected activist and campaigner for humane treatment for those seeking refuge.

Alison Phipps is UNESCO Chair in Refugee Integration through Languages and the Arts, and Professor of Languages and Intercultural Studies at the University of Glasgow, UK. She writes and publishes widely in both academic publications and the media, and is a respected activist and campaigner for humane treatment for those seeking refuge.

This is a very timely contribution by Alison Phipps. We live in unprecedented times of divisions. Walls and barriers are raised to keep people and nations apart. People who have so much in common including shared languages. In this book, Alison reminds us of the connecting power of languages and multilingualism. She talks about the languages and traditions left behind by those forced to flee their homes and the rich heritage of languages they can bring to their adopted homes.

Freire says the role of the colonised is to decolonise the coloniser – Alison Phipps shares her personal journey of such experiences that not only decolonise her but also reveal the hurts and pains of the colonised communities and the gentle wisdom of the lands that offer unconditional healing. These could be stories about courage and vulnerability, but for me I see them as doing what needs to be done: to whakatika (rectify wrongs), with aroha (unconditional love), and discover truth is held in what truly matters – whakapono (faith).

Decolonising Multilingualism is a beautifully written, deeply personal and intimate account of what it means to decentre and give up power. None of us can step outside our histories, our skin colour, the structural inequalities that position us in ways that are both privileged and uncomfortable. But by engaging with, and reflecting upon, how these contexts and power relations influence our work with others, this little book is both liberating and challenges us to do better.

A powerful call to decolonise knowledge and resist structures of violence through critical, poetic activism, by unlearning, dialoguing, and embodying the pain and potentialities of de-creation across and between languages, times and spaces.