Questions about linguistic pluralism and multilingualism have become a major political and scholarly concern given the instrumental, expressive and citizenship concerns attached to language. To explore and assess how linguistic policies are decided and implemented, this book looks into the multiple levels at which these can be challenged, devised and enacted, i.e. sub-national, national and supranational, and the variety of state and non-state actors involved. More specifically, it disentangles the political dilemmas and multifaceted claims regarding linguistic policies in Spain, being this a rather complex and subtle policy area in which multiple layers of national identity; social conflict and value formation converge. Moving beyond descriptive and normative approaches, this book provides an empirical comparative assessment of the policy responses and strategies deployed to deal with linguistic diversity and conflicts in Spain, a country where almost half the population is at least bilingual. The Spanish case is then assessed within the European context, both from the perspective of multilevel influence and mutual interaction, and from the learning experiences it may entail for similar or equivalent problems and disputes occurring at the European level or beyond. This text will be of key interest to scholars and students of Spanish politics, linguistics, identity politics and more broadly to European politics, EU politics and governance, public policy, education and communication policy and comparative politics.

Book Information
ISBN 9781138301412
Author Andrea Bianculli
Format Hardback
Page Count 96
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd