Special issue on marginalization call for papers

Marginalization is a pervasive phenomenon in contemporary societies, characterized by the social exclusion and sidelining of certain individuals or groups, depriving them of equal access to resources, opportunities and fundamental rights (UN, 2014). This complex process can result from a variety of factors such as race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation and language. Language is certainly an indicator of marginalization, but it also plays a crucial role in the processes of marginalization. In fact, we use language to consciously and unconsciously perpetuate marginalization, as well as to resist it.

Marginality and marginalization are interdisciplinary concepts in social sciences. Park (1928: 881) was the first to introduce the notion of marginality in sociology. He coined the term “marginal man”, which was later developed by him and Stonequist (1937). Both were more interested in the marginalized individual and its characteristics than the processes of marginalization. Their theory was later expanded by Goldberg (1941), who wrote about the “marginal culture”. Since then, marginality has been viewed by a number of scholars as a problem, a challenge or a threat for society (Mowat 2015), while others take interest in its contribution to society, its dynamism and its vitality (Bottrell 2007; Bright 2011, Lumsden 1984, Mc Laughlin 2001, Stankovitch 2020).

The concept of marginalization that we want to adopt in this special issue is understood as a process that responds to a dual logic, following the Bakhtinian notion of dialogism, which emphasizes the continuous acts of communication between the self and the other in a ceaseless attempt to position oneself (Bakhtin 1981, Bos 2008). On the one hand, it is inscribed in power and status relationships and may therefore involve both inclusion and exclusion on the part of dominant and dominated individuals, those within the norm or in the margins. On the other hand, it presupposes active cooperation between these two groups. The position of the marginalized is recognized in the dominant discourse, where it is even functional; marginalization is a constant dialogue between the one who marginalizes and the marginalized (Bourdieu 1992, Bos 2008). It is not a question of studying the margin as such but of understanding how it is constitutive of the center, how both are constructed, defined, and evolve, and how this dialogue is central to our understanding of reality (Bailly 1994; Barel 1982; Bourdieu 1992; Bos 2008; Rocher 1971; Wacquant 2008).

That being said, marginalization has not been theorized in sociolinguistics. The concept is generally used as part of the umbrella term discrimination. It is to fill this gap that this special issue is dedicated to the in-depth exploration of the relationship between language and marginalization. Through several analytical axes, we aim to explore the various ways in which language can be a factor in marginalization, a tool in marginalization processes, and at the same time, a subversive force capable of challenging oppressive norms and defying power structures.

For this issue, we invite submissions that address language-based marginalization from a variety of perspectives, including, but not limited to, the following topics:

- How language choice affects marginalized people

- The use of language in the processes of marginalization

- Linguistic strategies and resistance to marginalization

- Language policy as a tool for marginalization

- Marginalized languages, marginalized people

- Language ideologies and marginalization

- Deconstructing biases around marginalization

- Marginalizing language practices

- Identity-based strategies to resist language-based marginalization

- Contesting marginalization

Articles may come from sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, linguistic anthropology, education, sociology, or any other related discipline.

 

Submission information

The timeline is as follows:

- Abstract submission: June 1, 2024

- Notification and invitation to submit an article: June 14, 2024

- Final deadline for submission of article: September 15, 2024

- Peer review, notifications, and revisions: From October 2024 to April 2025

- Estimated publication time of issue: 2026

Please visit the Journal of Language and Discrimination website for author guidelines: https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JLD/about/submissions.

Questions about this issue can be addressed to Marie-Eve Bouchard: [email protected]

References

Bailly, A.-S. (1995). La marginalité, une approche historique et épistémologique. Anales de Geografia de la Universidad Complutense, 15: 109-117.

Barel, Y. (1982). La marginalité sociale. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France.

Bakthin, M. (1981) The Dialogic Imagination: Four Essays by M. M. Bakthin (Ed. By Michael Holquist). Austin: The University of Texas Press.

Bos, J. (2008). Les types de marginalisation dans leur relation constitutive au discours. L'Homme & la Société, 167-168-169: 177-201.

Bottrell, D. (2007). Resistance, resilience and social identities: Reframing ‘problem youth’ and the problem of schooling. Journal of Youth Studies, 10(5): 597–616.

Bourdieu, P. (1992). Language and Symbolic Power. Oxford: Polity Press.

Bright, N. G. (2011). ‘Non-servile virtuosi’ in insubordinate spaces: School disaffection, refusal and resistance in a former English coalfield. European Educational Research Journal, 10(4): 502–515.

Goldberg, M. (1941). A qualification of the marginal man theory. American Sociological Review, 6(1): 52-58.

Lumsden, D. (1984). Community Mental Health in Action. Toronto: Canadian Mental Health Association.

McLaughlin, N. (2001). Optimal marginality. The Sociological Quarterly, 42(2): 271-288.

Mowat, J. G. (2015). Towards a new conceptualisation of marginalisation. European Educational Research Journal, 14(5): 454-476.

Park, R. E. (1928). Human migration and the marginal man. American Journal of Sociology, 33(6): 881-893.

Rocher, G. (1971). La marginalité sociale. Un réservoir de contestation. In C. Ryan (Ed.), Le Québec qui se fait, 41-47. Montreal: Les Éditions Hurtubise.

Stankovich, A. (2020). Intermarginalité et plurimarginalité : les actions revendicatrices des groupes marginaux, un moteur de changement favorable à l'inclusion. MA Thesis. Rimouski: Université du Québec à Rimouski.

Stonequist, Everett V. (1937/1961) The marginal man: A study in personality and culture conflict. New York: Russell & Russell.

United Nations (UN). (2014). Marginalized groups: UN human rights expert calls for an end to relegation. Available online: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2014/06/marginalized-groups-un-human-rights-expert-calls-end-relegation

Wacquant, L. (2008). Urban Outcast: A Comparative Sociology of Advanced Marginality. Cambridge: Polity.