The Handbook of Linguistic Human Rights - (Blackwell Handbooks in Linguistics) by Tove Skutnabb-Kangas & Robert Phillipson

Book Synopsis

A groundbreaking new work that sheds light on case studies of linguistic human rights around the world, raising much-needed awareness of the struggles of many peoples and communities

The first book of its kind, the Handbook of Linguistic Human Rights presents a diverse range of theoretically grounded studies of linguistic human rights, exemplifying what linguistic justice is and how it might be achieved. Through explorations of ways in which linguistic human rights are understood in both national and international contexts, this innovative volume demonstrates how linguistic human rights are supported or violated on all continents, with a particular focus on the marginalized languages of minorities and Indigenous peoples, in industrialized countries and the Global South.

Organized into five parts, this volume first presents approaches to linguistic human rights in international and national law, political theory, sociology, economics, history, education, and critical theory. Subsequent sections address how international standards are promoted or impeded and cross-cutting issues, including translation and interpreting, endangered languages and the internet, the impact of global English, language testing, disaster situations, historical amnesia, and more. This essential reference work:

• Explores approaches to linguistic human rights in countries of great demographic diversity and conflict
• Covers cases of linguistic human rights in the Americas, China, Europe, North Africa, India, Nepal and New Zealand, including international minorities, such as the Kurds and the Roma, and the Deaf worldwide.
• Illustrates how education worldwide has often blocked off minority languages by not offering mother-tongue medium education
• Presents and assesses conventions, declarations, and recommendations that recognize the rights of Indigenous peoples and minorities.
• Includes a selection of short texts that present additional existential evidence of linguistic human rights.

Edited by two renowned leaders in the field, the Handbook of Linguistic Human Rights is an ideal resource for undergraduate and graduate students of language and law, sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, language policy, language education, indigenous studies, language rights, human rights, and globalization.

From the Back Cover

The first book of its kind, The Handbook of Linguistic Human Rights presents a diverse range of theoretically grounded studies of linguistic human rights, exemplifying what linguistic justice is and how it might be achieved. Through explorations of ways in which linguistic human rights are understood in both national and international contexts, this innovative volume demonstrates how linguistic human rights are supported or violated on all continents, with a particular focus on the marginalized languages of minorities and Indigenous peoples, in industrialized countries and the Global South.

Organized into five parts, this volume first presents approaches to linguistic human rights in international and national law, political theory, sociology, economics, history, education, and critical theory. Subsequent sections address how international standards are promoted or impeded and cross-cutting issues, including translation and interpreting, endangered languages and the internet, the impact of global English, language testing, disaster situations, historical amnesia, and more. This essential reference work explores approaches to linguistic human rights in countries of great demographic diversity and conflict through case studies from the Americas, China, Europe, North Africa, India, Nepal and New Zealand, including international minorities, such as the Kurds and the Roma, and the Deaf worldwide. In a critical contribution to scholarship in this area, this volume presents and assesses conventions, declarations, and recommendations that recognize the rights of Indigenous peoples and minorities.

Edited by two renowned field leaders, The Handbook of Linguistic Human Rights is an ideal resource for undergraduate and graduate students of language and law, sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, language policy, language education, indigenous studies, language rights, human rights, and globalization.

Review Quotes

"Compelling testament to the urgency of ensuring linguistic human rights worldwide and to Skutnabb-Kangas' and Phillipson's vision and tenacity in illuminating the field for half a century."

Nancy H. Hornberger, Professor Emerita, University of Pennsylvania

"Our ability to communicate through language is central to our constitution, evolution, and identity as humans. It is therefore not surprising that this core characteristic of who we are has always been contested as social groups vie for advantage and superiority. The Handbook of Linguistic Human Rights brilliantly brings these realities into the 21^st century, combining academic analysis, personal accounts, and evidence-based directions for change. The authors have created a repository of information and inspiration that will fuel language activism for many years to come."

Jim Cummins, Professor, The University of Toronto

"This impressive and engaging edited Handbook is not only global in coverage and truly comprehensive in scope, it also introduces and formulates the concept linguistic human rights through state-of-the-art theoretical, legal and conceptual discussions. National and thematic examples of violations or good implementation are rounded out by evidence statements on some of humanity's most discerning linguistic identity violations."

Tove H. Malloy, Professor of European Studies, Europa-Universität Flensburg

"An extraordinarily multifaceted handbook, covering theory and implementation, opportunities and obstacles, global and local perspectives, voices of academics and practitioners. It demonstrates why paying due attention to the - still too often neglected - linguistic dimension of human rights is so crucial for a world in which no one will be left behind."

Goro Christoph Kimura, Professor, Sophia University, Tokyo

"The handbook is exceptionally valuable for understanding and appreciating the concept of linguistic human rights and their significance for social and linguistic justice. It is well organised, illuminating and highly interesting in its entirety. It can therefore be warmly recommended not only to lawyers and students of law, but to all those interested in the protection of linguistic rights of all people and some form of linguistic justice."

Marijana Javornik Čubric, Professor, Zagreb University

"[In sum], this handbook...presents a wealth of perspectives and case studies of LHRs...What unites them is the idea that, in addition to serving as the most important means of communication, languages and linguistic diversity are a human heritage deserving of legal protection." - Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, July, 1-3

About the Author

Tove Skutnabb-Kangas (1940-2023) was Adjunct Professor Emerita at Åbo Akademi University, Finland. Her research focused on linguistic human rights, linguistic genocide, mother-tongue-based multilingual education, the subtractive spread of English, revitalization of Indigenous languages, and the relationship between biodiversity and linguistic and cultural diversity. She was the (co-)author or editor of some 50 books and over 400 scientific articles. She was awarded the UNESCO Linguapax Prize in 2003.

Robert Phillipson is Professor Emeritus at Copenhagen Business School, Denmark. His research focuses on the role of English worldwide, language policy, linguistic justice, language pedagogy, and multilingualism. He co-edited the four-volume Language Rights with Tove Skutnabb-Kangas. His most influential books are Linguistic Imperialism, Linguistic Imperialism Continued, and English-only Europe? Challenging Language Policy. He was awarded the UNESCO Linguapax Prize in 2010.