Hosts

Hosted by: AILA Research Networks on Language and Migration; Applied Linguistics and Literacy in Africa and the Diaspora; and Literacy Studies.

Co-hosted by the Dept of Linguistics, University of the Western Cape; the School of Education,  the Department of English Language and Literature and the Multilingualism in Education project, University of Cape Town (UCT); Dept of General Linguistics, Stellenbosch University; Faculty of Education, Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT); School of Literature and Language Studies, University of the Witwatersrand (Wits)

Secretariat: Christine Anthonissen, Rajendra Chetty, Ana Deumert, Charlyn Dyers, Mbulungeni Madiba, Tommaso Milani, Mastin Prinsloo, Christopher Stroud

Conference organisers: Mastin Prinsloo, Christopher Stroud, Mike Baynham, Tommaso Milani and Stef Slembrouk

Consultative committee: David Barton, Mike Baynham, Raj Mesthrie, Sinfree Makoni, Bonny Norton, Stef Slembrouk

AILA

AILA is the acronym for Association Internationale de Linguistique Appliquée or International Association of Applied Linguistics. AILA is the international federation of national or regional associations of Applied Linguistics. Through its member associations, AILA currently has a membership of more than 8.000 individuals worldwide who as researchers, policy makers or practitioners are active in the field of Applied Linguistics.

Applied Linguistics is an interdisciplinary field of research and practice dealing with practical problems of language and communication that can be identified, analysed or solved by applying available theories, methods and results of Linguistics or by developing new theoretical and methodological frameworks in Linguistics to work on these problems. Applied Linguistics differs from Linguistics in general mainly with respect to its explicit orientation towards practical, everyday problems related to language and communication.

The problems Applied Linguistics deals with range from aspects of the linguistic and communicative competence of the individual such as first or second language acquisition, literacy, language disorders, etc. to language and communication related problems in and between societies such as e.g. language variation and linguistic discrimination, multilingualism, language conflict, language policy and language planning.

AILA is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) enjoying Status B (mutual information and consultation) with UNESCO. For more information about AILA, please visit their website.

AILA Research Networks (RENs)

Language and Migration ReN - website

Objectives of the Language and Migration ReN

1. to bring together scholars in applied linguistics and related disciplines to explore new theoretical perspectives on language and space, in relation to migration and diaspora;
2. through on-line and face to face means to articulate an agenda for applied linguistic research in multilingual settings, sensitive to the material and cultural flows and landscapes characteristic of globalization.

Rationale

Language and Migration is a timely and relevant theme for an AILA Research Network. There has in recent years been a widespread de-centring of powerful conceptualizations of settled space and place in applied linguistics, in order to engage with pervasive phenomena of migration and diaspora in the context of globalization and population flows. This is seen as a central rather than a peripheral issue and poses a number of challenges to settled and stable accounts in linguistic theory – for instance, it renders problematic modernist linguistic notions such as “the speech community”. In this research network we propose to explore the implications of a more dynamic and reflexive conceptualisation of space, spatial occupation, displacement and spatio-temporal scale as a theoretical framework for re-imagining and re-framing key applied linguistic concerns such as, language and education, interpreting and translation, institutional service encounters in multilingual contexts.

Drawing on theoretical frameworks from social and cultural geography, linguistic ethnography, metaphor and narrative studies we ask: what are the theoretical tools for engaging with the pervasive spatialization of language practices and the discursive construction of space – on different scales, mostly layered, very often a matter of spatial occupation which is in a flux, and rarely in isolation from long-standing hegemonic understandings of territory, boundary, homogeneity and unity? How are spatial metaphors built into our linguistic theories in taken for granted ways? How can they be unpacked and rearticulated in more dynamic ways which shed light on some of the key social processes in the present era? How do spatial metaphors inform localised language practices, and vice versa? How can we develop an applied linguistics agenda in areas such as interpreting and translation studies, education in multilingual settings, language education, institutional encounters which is sensitive to and informed by these “new“ understandings of language and space. The international network of scholars brought together in the Language and Migration ReN is well placed to develop this agenda.

The AILA Applied Linguistics and Literacy in Africa & the Diaspora Research Network - website

This ReN brings together a diverse groups of scholars working in highly dispersed fields, including but not restricted to literacy, discourse analysis, language and education, language policy, and language and health, all of which share an important interest in Africa and the diaspora. The inclusion of the term ‘literacy’ is to signal that this research reflects our interest in expanding the circles of research to include scholars who have hitherto not regarded themselves as applied linguists.

An important defining feature of this ReN is the way it takes seriously issues about ethics and research accountability. We are centrally concerned with addressing capacity building and enhancing opportunities for sustainable development as an integral part of research practices within a global context.

Vision

We seek to share information, build knowledge and encourage excellence in research in the field of applied linguistics and literacy in Africa and the Diaspora. We envision a future where literacy and language learning are applied towards sustainable development in Africa and African communities.

Objectives

In order to accomplish our objectives, we therefore seek to create opportunities within Africa and the Diaspora:

1. to promote collaborative research on language, literacy, and learning, also including literature, popular culture, creative writing, media and cultural studies in Africa under the rubric of literacy education and multilinguilism in Africa
2. to encourage debate on research findings relevant to applied linguistics and literacy research
3. to share research findings in local, regional, and international research communities
4. to mentor research by graduate students and other emerging scholars
5. to foster partnerships with other organizations interested in language, literacy, and learning
6. to distribute information on sources of funding and awards for research related to the ReN
7. to advertise conferences, symposia, and workshops related to the current concerns of the ReN
8. to disseminate information on books, journals, and discounts relevant to ReN members. 

The AILA Literacy Research Grouping

The former Literacy Scientific Commission provides an international focus for literacy scholars at AILA conferences, taking the position that research into literacy is an interdisciplinary project and cannot be fully addressed within any one discipline area. Within this interdisciplinary perspective, the group brings together scholars who are committed to exploring the contribution that language-oriented research, interacting with other fields in the social sciences and humanities, can make to open up new understandings of literacy.