Speech and the City: Multilingualism, Decoloniality and the Civic University

The Brexit debate has been accompanied by a rise in hostile attitudes to multilingualism. However, cities can provide an important counter-weight to political polarisation by forging civic identities that embrace diversity. In this timely book, Yaron Matras describes the emergence of a city language narrative that embraces and celebrates multilingualism and helps forge a civic identity. He critiques linguaphobic discourses at a national level that regard multilingualism as deficient citizenship. Drawing on his research in Manchester, he examines the 'multilingual utopia', looking at multilingual spaces across sectors in the city that support access, heritage, skills and celebration. The book explores the tensions between decolonial approaches that inspire activism for social justice and equality, and the neoliberal enterprise that appropriates diversity for reputational and profitability purposes, prompting critical reflection on calls for civic university engagement. It is essential reading for anyone concerned about ways to protect cultural pluralism in our society.

英國脫歐辯論伴隨著對多語言的敵對態度的上升。然而，城市可以通過塑造擁抱多樣性的市民身份，提供對政治極化的重要抵制力。在這本及時的書中，Yaron Matras描述了一種擁抱和慶祝多語言的城市語言敘事的出現，並有助於塑造市民身份。他批評了國家層面上將多語言視為公民權利不足的語言恐懼論述。通過他在曼徹斯特的研究，他探討了“多語言烏托邦”，研究了該市各個部門中支持接觸、遺產、技能和慶祝的多語言空間。本書探討了啟發為社會正義和平等而進行的行動主義與將多樣性用於聲譽和盈利目的的新自由主義企業之間的張力，促使對市民大學參與的呼籲進行批判性反思。對於任何關心如何保護我們社會中的文化多元主義的人來說，這是必讀之書。