Agency in the Peripheries of Language Revitalisation

Reviews / Votes

The case studies in this volume provide valuable ethnographic insights into the practices of social actors - both individual and collective - who are using and promoting minoritised languages in early 21st century Europe. Additionally, the authors' discussions of the nature of agency in language revitalisation make a significant contribution to advancing both theory and practice in this field. * Haley De Korne, University of Oslo, Norway * Agency and self-empowerment are at the very core of language reclamation efforts, forming a powerful, self-propelling social mechanism. This cutting-edge book shows the complexity of the notion of agency and the potential of 'peripheries' as creative hubs of language diversity, affirming that it is indeed possible to challenge the homogenizing legacy of nation states. * Justyna Olko, University of Warsaw, Poland * This book explores the processes and histories of revival in Europe's minority languages, exploring agency dynamics and structural constraints. It enriches sociolinguistic discussions by emphasizing the complexity of the agency, evaluating emotional forces, and involving diverse actors. Beyond conventional concepts, revitalization is seen as being driven by passion and emotion, advocating for research on emotional mobilization. Challenging traditional dichotomies, this book undoubtedly offers valuable insights for scholars and practitioners in minority language revitalization. * Tomasz Wicherkiewicz, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland * This volume is a fantastic example of what a good edited collection looks like. The contributions are diverse in their empirical focus and theoretical approach, but thematically aligned and woven together through cross-referencing, a thorough contextual introduction, and several moments of summative commentary. The fact that the volume is also free (as an open access PDF) only adds to the package [...] The book provides much useful food for thought...and perhaps provides us with concepts and language that can serve to bridge the two peripheries, beyond the gaze of top-down policy-makers, and on the edges of the world-system. * Gerald Roche, La Trobe University, Australia, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 2024 * This volume is a fantastic example of what a good edited collection looks like [...] I am particularly interested in the way the volume focuses on the 'peripheries' of language revitalisation: spaces and networks on the margins of state control, whether actively abandoned, autonomously governed, or simply ignored and overlooked. This approach provides valuable insights into how revitalisation works at the ground level, in families and community organisations, as well as in sites like bookstores and cafes that serve as revitalisation hubs in urban settings. * Gerald Roche, La Trobe University, Australia, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 2025 * This anthology is a box of delights for those who are looking to explore the subject of agency in close and complexly nuanced depth by bringing it to life with situated examples [...] Each case study details instances of minority languages as tools of social resistance and how they can be used to challenge the linguistic status quo against top-down language planning. The authors present evidence from a range of diverse contexts, unified by

speaker advocacy, presenting minority language speakers as agents of language change, and underlining the need to create safe non-judgemental spaces for language users ('breathing spaces'). * Cerise Andrews, University of Warwick, UK, Language in Society, 54 (2025) *