Acceso usuarios
Asta Haukas
, Mona Hosseini
This special issue brings together seven studies that explore how multilingualism is lived, negotiated, and fostered across homes, schools, universities, and wider societal contexts. Originating from the second online Multilingualism on My Mind (MoMM) conference in 2024, hosted by the University of Bergen, the contributions reflect a shared understanding of multilingualism not merely as linguistic competence, but as a social, cultural, and political phenomenon closely tied to identity, belonging, and educational opportunity. Drawing on various qualitative and quantitative methodologies and spanning early childhood, primary, secondary, and higher education, the articles foreground perspectives of children, families, students, teachers, and places. Collectively, they illuminate tensions between multilingual realities and persistent monolingual norms, as well as gaps between positive beliefs about multilingualism and everyday practices. Several studies highlight the importance of collaboration across various stakeholders (e.g., parents and school, teachers and teacher educators) in supporting multilingual development and awareness. Against a backdrop of increasing political contestation of multilingualism in many parts of the world, this special issue also represents a commitment to linguistic diversity, linguistic rights, and social justice. It argues for moving beyond symbolic inclusion toward meaningful engagement with learners’ full linguistic repertoires across levels and contexts.
