TY - JOUR

T1 - Dis-citizenship and migration

T2 - a critical discourse-analytical perspective

AU - Wodak, Ruth

PY - 2013

Y1 - 2013

N2 - Inclusion and exclusion of migrants are renegotiated in the European Union on almost a daily scale: ever new policies defining and restricting immigration (usually from third world countries) are proposed by European member states. Thus, a return to ever more local policies and ideologies can be observed on many levels: traditions, rules, languages, visions, and imaginaries are affected. In this article, I suggest that we are currently experiencing a re/nationalisation in spite of (or perhaps because of) multiple globalising tendencies. Thus, citizenship and language tests are being or have already been introduced to all European nation states, thus emphasizing a revival of “the national language” as constitutive for access to employment, housing, or education and promising achievement of successful “integration.” In this way, migrants are perceived as having a “deficit” even if manifold tests provide evidence that native speakers (of German, for example) might also lack many language skills.

AB - Inclusion and exclusion of migrants are renegotiated in the European Union on almost a daily scale: ever new policies defining and restricting immigration (usually from third world countries) are proposed by European member states. Thus, a return to ever more local policies and ideologies can be observed on many levels: traditions, rules, languages, visions, and imaginaries are affected. In this article, I suggest that we are currently experiencing a re/nationalisation in spite of (or perhaps because of) multiple globalising tendencies. Thus, citizenship and language tests are being or have already been introduced to all European nation states, thus emphasizing a revival of “the national language” as constitutive for access to employment, housing, or education and promising achievement of successful “integration.” In this way, migrants are perceived as having a “deficit” even if manifold tests provide evidence that native speakers (of German, for example) might also lack many language skills.

KW - critical discourse studies

KW - citizenship and language tests

KW - naturalisation

KW - European Union

KW - Austria

KW - United Kingdom

KW - right wing populist rhetoric

KW - German language

KW - deficit and difference

KW - Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ)

KW - Austrian People's Party (ÖVP)

U2 - 10.1080/15348458.2013.797258

DO - 10.1080/15348458.2013.797258

M3 - Journal article

VL - 12

SP - 173

EP - 178

JO - Journal of Language, Identity and Education

JF - Journal of Language, Identity and Education

SN - 1534-8458

IS - 3

ER -