Date: 17-Jun-2008 From: Shereen Muhyeddeen <s.muhyeddeenpalgrave.com> Subject: Can Schools Save Indigenous Languages?: Hornberger (Ed) E-mail this message to a friend
Title: Can Schools Save Indigenous Languages?
Subtitle: Policy and Practice on Four Continents
Series Title: Palgrave Studies in Minority Languages and Communities
Published: 2008
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
http://www.palgrave.com
This book offers a close look at cases of indigenous language revitalization on four continents: Māori in Aotearoa, New Zealand, Sámi in the Nordic countries, Hñähñö in Mexico, and Indigenous languages in Latin America. Contributions by experts from each case are in turn discussed in international perspective by four counterpart experts. Starting from the premise that Indigenous language revitalization is worth doing, the focus here is on HOW to do it, and in particular, the role of schools in that endeavour. Schools alone are not enough to do the job, but in tandem with other social institutions, can be a strategic resource. Indigenous language revitalization is never only about language, but also about the identities and experiences of speakers and communities. The authors advocate for the rights of Indigenous peoples to exercise both voice and choice in determining their own Indigenous language revitalization and education processes.