Submission Date

5-5-2026

Document Type

Paper

Department

Politics

Adviser

Rebecca Evans

Committee Member

Rebecca Evans

Committee Member

Jose Cornelio

Committee Member

Shai Karp

Department Chair

Ann Karreth

Project Description

The future of minority languages not only depends on intergenerational transmission but also on support for immersive instruction in minority languages within the educational system. This paper examines the factors that influence support for minority language education, arguing that language policy is shaped by societal attitudes, which in turn reflect dynamics of power. The paper draws upon Pierre Bourdieu’s conceptualization of different types of capital, including his theory on the relationship between economic, social, cultural and symbolic capital. Within this framework, language functions as a form of capital, reflecting and reinforcing social and economic stratification by conveying status or stigma. The paper also incorporates Richard Ruiz’s analysis of different orientations that shape language policy, distinguishing among language as problem, language as right, and language as resource. Based on these theoretical arguments, the paper analyzes the effectiveness of minority education policy in increasing the number of learners studying through the medium of minority languages. The research is based on a detailed comparative analysis of eight case studies of minority language education: Swedish in Finland, German in northern Italy, Quechua in Peru, Kurdish in Turkey, Cajun French in Louisiana, Irish Gaelic in Ireland, Welsh in Wales and Swedish in Australia. The paper concludes that minority communities will support minority language education when they perceive it to convey economic, social and/or cultural capital.

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