ERIC Number: EJ1031189
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1534-8458
EISSN: N/A
In the Name of Language: School-Based Language Revitalization, Strategic Solidarities, and State Power in the French Basque Country
Heidemann, Kai A.
Journal of Language, Identity, and Education, v13 n1 p53-69 2014
This article explores the mobilization dynamics of a school-based minority language revitalization initiative in the French Basque Country, known as the Ikastola Movement. Bringing the study of language revitalization into dialogue with social movement theory, I discuss how the solidarity of Basque language activists was influenced by state-level structures of power. Focusing on an early phase of mobilization from 1975 to 1981, I consider how political opposition to the Ikastola Movement created a series of ideological and institutional struggles for activists. I then examine how these experiences of struggle strengthened the solidarity of activists in the long run. Ultimately, I argue that the discursive and organizational solidarities mobilized by activists were crucial in allowing them to realize important political gains during the 1980s to 1990s. By way of conclusion I suggest avenues for future research on school-based revitalization movements that draw attention to the horizontal and vertical dynamics of collective action.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Language Minorities, Language Maintenance, Second Languages, Social Theories, Activism, Political Attitudes, Language Attitudes, Social Action, Power Structure, Native Language Instruction, Language Planning, Bilingualism, Language of Instruction, Second Language Learning, Geographic Regions, Educational Policy, Qualitative Research, Semi Structured Interviews
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: France
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A