Piotr Goldstein’s Post

Hi folks. In this post I'm going to wrap up what turned out to be a pretty good year for me. I started out the year expecting to be leaving academia, and ended it with an ongoing job that I landed at the eleventh hour: in 2025 I'll be starting a position as lecturer in linguistics in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, La Trobe University, and I couldn't be happier. In November I launched my new book, The Politics of Language Oppression in Tibet through Cornell University Press. It brings together almost two decades of thinking, research, and writing about the complex language politics of Tibet, and provides what I think are important lessons about the future of global linguistic diversity: https://lnkd.in/gVjV6uDV I had a good year for publications, with four academic articles coming out across the year: Securing the right to assimilate: How the drafting of the genocide convention helped undermine language rights: https://lnkd.in/gt3D-KHP Towards a sociolinguistics of deglobalization (with Jess Kruk): https://lnkd.in/gEtGf4bD “Conquered primitives have no written language”: Language revitalization, reactionary settler colonialism, and perpetual genocide https://lnkd.in/gCdqMGGz We need a global language rights movement: https://lnkd.in/gG46itPV The last article has now almost hit 35,000 reads 😮 I also had a non-academic article out with Meanjin: "Don’t read the comments: The backlash against Indigenous language reclamation in Australia" https://lnkd.in/gv6EtmDg  Across the year you could also find me in the Guardian, ABC Radio National, International Affairs, Red Pepper, Positions Politics, and Language on the Move. I also continued to be active in advocating for language rights and linguistic justice. In February I helped organize Global Language Advocacy Days for the Global Coalition for Language Rights (GCLR), and then I stepped down from my two-year tenure as co-chair of the coalition. My last bit of work with GCLR was helping to launch the inaugural Language Rights Defenders Award: https://lnkd.in/gpxkEnEc Later in the year, I worked with my friends Irene G. and Veronica Costea to set up an exciting new project, the Linguistic Justice Foundation. I am really happy with how it is going so far (did you see our recent announcement introducing our board?). I think we're going to do lots of great work in 2025 and far beyond. I hope you've all had a good year 🙂

In the US, President Biden's administration has recently launched a national plan to protect, preserve, and revitalize Indigenous languages. Learn more about language revitalization in our blog article here: What You Need to Know About Indigenous Language Revitalization https://hubs.la/Q02_7M1t0

In the US, President Biden's administration has recently launched a national plan to protect, preserve, and revitalize Indigenous languages. Learn more about language revitalization in our blog article here: What You Need to Know About Indigenous Language Revitalization https://hubs.la/Q02_7PMm0

As specialists in Pacific Islands languages, we're observing China's evolving approach to language rights protection and international engagement. China's domestic experience with language preservation, combined with its growing presence in the Pacific through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), raises intriguing possibilities for Pacific Islands language preservation https://lnkd.in/gd9sCTat

What is happening to the world's languages? Why do we find that there are fewer and fewer speakers of certain languages? Why are people no longer speaking their own language? Linguistic diversity in the world is in danger. In a culturally and linguistically megadiverse country such as Mexico, this problem is becoming increasingly common. Xakexi Xjuani: La memoria de una lengua, documentary we produced on the Xjuani language, suggests a reflection on the languages of Mexico. View on: https://lnkd.in/dppS5rAY

As specialists in Pacific Islands languages, we're observing China's evolving approach to language rights protection and international engagement. China's domestic experience with language preservation, combined with its growing presence in the Pacific through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), raises intriguing possibilities for Pacific Islands language preservation https://lnkd.in/gd9sCTat

Language access goes beyond words—it’s about social justice, identity, culture, and dignity. In some countries, it reflects the lasting impact of colonialism, where dominant languages overshadowed local ones. In others, politics adds layers of complexity to the conversation. According to Ethnologue, 44% of the world’s languages are endangered, and Africa is home to many of them. These languages are at risk of extinction, taking with them rich and amazing cultural and historical knowledge. As professionals in the language industry, we are in a unique position to make a difference. By integrating endangered languages into education and technology, we can help protect and sustain Africa’s rich linguistic diversity. Promoting and preserving these languages contributes to building a future where every voice matters. Let’s work together to make that happen.

The Role of Language in Cultural Identity: Explore the intricate grammar and linguistic ties of Kinyamulenge, a language that reflects the diverse cultural influences on the Banyamulenge community. #LinguisticDiversity #CulturalIdentity https://lnkd.in/d-EPiQNX

What You Need to Know About Indigenous Language Revitalization https://hubs.la/Q02PmnpX0

New book chapter is out. It is titled "Unsettling Coloniality of Language: English in Contexts Colonized by Other Languages". This chapter argues that some peripheries are making use of the coloniality of language by advancing English as a decolonial option to undo the lingering legacies of colonial languages such as French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian. That is, some peripheries are replacing linguistic colonialism with linguistic coloniality. It posits that the political instrumentalisation of language betrays the Moroccan state’s failures to signal a true (post)colony as it sustains supposedly ‘liberal’ and ‘progressive’ language policies that enforce English to earn acceptance from the dominant and hegemonic Anglosphere of the world. https://lnkd.in/gF3c5yaa