Exploring translocality: negotiating space through the language practices of migrant communities
Exploring translocality: negotiating space through the language practices of migrant communities
This thesis aims to explore the spaces created by migrant communities as they make their place in a new homeland. Theoretically conceived of as translocality, these place-making practices are constructed through vibrant relationships between countries, mainly across national orders. I set out to understand the impact of the global on the local in these negotiations between and within migrant groups and the receiving population through the lens of language practices. Previous studies of translocality have focussed on larger, global cities and this research aims to shed some light on the phenomenon in the super-diverse urban environment of a smaller city.
A migrant’s first encounter with a dominant institution in the host country is often in the health domain. My case study is located in a hospital maternity department where large numbers of migrants require language support and is considered to offer a rich site of translocal interactions. I use a qualitative ethnographic methodology and interpretation through induction from contextualised subjective data and a theme-oriented discourse data analysis. This approach is suitable for a study, which requires an understanding of how individuals and groups perceive and construct their worlds, difference, agency and power relations.
My findings reveal the control of languages by local governance framed by dominant monolingualism. The reality of in situ multilingualism of the interpreters and patients accessing healthcare in the city is challenging this monolingual dominance. I suggest the vertical top-down to grass roots relationship of the control of languages is becoming increasingly non-hierarchical as the hospital responds to this linguistic reality. The light shed on the negotiation of translocality may inform effective professional practice in the health domain. This knowledge can be of use to other public sectors, language policy makers and planners that engage with members of migrant communities.
Cadier, Linda
0ddab937-dcaa-48b8-a4d7-723a6d026178
1 May 2013
Cadier, Linda
0ddab937-dcaa-48b8-a4d7-723a6d026178
Mar-Molinero, Clare
07b0f9ce-15ba-443a-896f-708327bb4e0c
Wright, Vicky
5a4085ca-99b1-43d4-92e0-8b36edbcf93a
Sutton, Kim
3947f43e-06cf-48a5-81da-dd161cecbbf5
Cadier, Linda
(2013)
Exploring translocality: negotiating space through the language practices of migrant communities.
University of Southampton, Faculty of Humanities, Doctoral Thesis, 324pp.
Record type:
Thesis
(Doctoral)
Abstract
This thesis aims to explore the spaces created by migrant communities as they make their place in a new homeland. Theoretically conceived of as translocality, these place-making practices are constructed through vibrant relationships between countries, mainly across national orders. I set out to understand the impact of the global on the local in these negotiations between and within migrant groups and the receiving population through the lens of language practices. Previous studies of translocality have focussed on larger, global cities and this research aims to shed some light on the phenomenon in the super-diverse urban environment of a smaller city.
A migrant’s first encounter with a dominant institution in the host country is often in the health domain. My case study is located in a hospital maternity department where large numbers of migrants require language support and is considered to offer a rich site of translocal interactions. I use a qualitative ethnographic methodology and interpretation through induction from contextualised subjective data and a theme-oriented discourse data analysis. This approach is suitable for a study, which requires an understanding of how individuals and groups perceive and construct their worlds, difference, agency and power relations.
My findings reveal the control of languages by local governance framed by dominant monolingualism. The reality of in situ multilingualism of the interpreters and patients accessing healthcare in the city is challenging this monolingual dominance. I suggest the vertical top-down to grass roots relationship of the control of languages is becoming increasingly non-hierarchical as the hospital responds to this linguistic reality. The light shed on the negotiation of translocality may inform effective professional practice in the health domain. This knowledge can be of use to other public sectors, language policy makers and planners that engage with members of migrant communities.
More information
Published date: 1 May 2013
Organisations:
University of Southampton, Faculty of Humanities
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 367079
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/367079
PURE UUID: 82d0fa37-8303-4bbe-9b98-d9f3927384e1
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 04 Nov 2014 10:10
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 17:23
Export record
Contributors
Author:
Linda Cadier
Thesis advisor:
Kim Sutton
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics