Politics of Language
About the Book Series
The Politics of Language series covers the field of language and cultural theory and publishes radical and innovative texts in this area. In recent years the developments and advances in the study of language and cultural criticism have brought to the fore a new set of questions. The shift from purely formal, analytical approaches has created an interest in the role of language in the social, political and ideological realms and the series will seek to address these new problems with a clear and informed approach. The intention is to gain recognition for the central role of language in individual and public life.
Language as Statecraft: 'Global English' and the Politics of Language in Rwanda
1st Edition
By Kate Spowage
November 28, 2025
This book examines the rise of English in Rwanda, offering critical insights into the links between language, colonialism, and capitalism, with implications for our understanding of global English. Spowage takes an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on political theory, cultural-materialism, and ...
Moral Talk: Stance and Evaluation in Political Discourse
1st Edition
By Joe Spencer-Bennett
December 18, 2020
This book is about moral talk in contemporary British political discourse, drawing on speeches, debates and radio phone-ins. Using a critical sociolinguistic approach, Spencer-Bennett explores the language people use to communicate moral judgement and highlights the relations between the things ...
Defiant Discourse: Speech and Action in Grassroots Activism
1st Edition
By Tamar Katriel
October 30, 2020
In this timely and innovative book, Tamar Katriel takes a language and discourse-centred approach to the subject of peace activism in Israel-Palestine, one of the most significant political issues of our time, while also posing more general questions about the role played by language in activist ...
The Politics of Palestinian Multilingualism: Speaking for Citizenship
1st Edition
By Nancy Hawker
May 20, 2019
The Politics of Palestinian Multilingualism: Speaking for Citizenship provides an essential contribution to understanding the politics of Israel/Palestine through the prism of sociolinguistics and discourse analysis. Arabic-speakers who also know Hebrew resort to a range of communicative strategies...
Linguistic Ecology: Language Change and Linguistic Imperialism in the Pacific Region
1st Edition
By Peter Mühlhäusler
May 08, 2015
In this book, the author examines the transformation of the Pacific language region under the impact of colonization, westernization and modernization. By focusing on the linguistic and socio-historical changes of the past 200 years, it aims to bring a new dimension to the study of Pacific ...
Broken English: Dialects and the Politics of Language in Renaissance Writings
1st Edition
By Paula Blank
April 10, 2014
The English language in the Renaissance was in many ways a collection of competing Englishes. Paula Blank investigates the representation of alternative vernaculars - the dialects of early modern English - in both linguistic and literary works of the period. Blank argues that Renaissance authors ...
The Politics of Language in the Spanish-Speaking World: From Colonization to Globalization
1st Edition
By Clare Mar-Molinero
May 25, 2000
Spanish is now the third most widely spoken language in the world after English and Chinese. This book traces how and why Spanish has arrived at this position, examining its role in the diverse societies where it is spoken from Europe to the Americas. Providing a comprehensive survey of language ...
The Politics of Language in Ireland 1366-1922: A Sourcebook
1st Edition
By Dr Tony Crowley
December 16, 1999
For almost a thousand years language has been an important and contentious issue in Ireland but above all it reflects the great themes of Irish history: colonial, invasion, native resistance, religious and cultural difference. Collected here for the first time are texts on language from the date of...
English and the Discourses of Colonialism
1st Edition
By Alastair Pennycook
September 17, 1998
English and the Discourses of Colonialism opens with the British departure from Hong Kong marking the end of British colonialism. Yet Alastair Pennycook argues that this dramatic exit masks the crucial issue that the traces left by colonialism run deep.This challenging and provocative book looks ...
Linguistic Culture and Language Policy
1st Edition
By Harold Schiffman
March 05, 1998
By looking closely at the multilingual democracies of India, France and the USA, Harold F. Schiffman examines how language policy is primarily a social construct based on belief systems, attitudes and myths.Linguistic Culture and Language Policy exposes language policy as culture-specific, helping ...
Language in History: Theories and Texts
1st Edition
By Dr Tony Crowley, Tony Crowley
November 30, 1995
In Language in History, Tony Crowley provides the analytical tools for answering such questions. Using a radical re-reading of Saussure and Bahktin, he demonstrates, in four case studies, the ways in which language has been used to construct social and cultural identity in Britain and Ireland. For ...