Gaelic Language Revitalization Concepts and Challenges: Collected Essays

Based on research about Scottish Gaelic, this collection focuses on a number of interconnected themes, including the intersection of neoliberalism and minority language revitalization; discourses of language death and revival in literature, media, and academia; the intertwining of language ideologies and affective stances in speaking and speakerhood; power and knowledge in the research and representation of minority language communities; and the theoretical frameworks of reversing language shift (RLS) and communities of practice as applied to language revitalization efforts in Scotland and Nova Scotia. Essays include the author’s previously published articles and book chapters spanning the period 2005–2013, as well as three previously unpublished papers. The collection is suitable for undergraduate and graduate-level courses in multiple fields including linguistic anthropology, sociolinguistics, Celtic studies, and education.

Dr. Emily McEwan-Fujita has been involved with Scottish Gaelic language and culture for over 30 years. She earned a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Chicago and has taught linguistic and cultural anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis, Loyola University Chicago, University of Pittsburgh, and Saint Mary's University. A former editor of the Small Languages and Small Language Communities section of the International Journal of the Sociology of Language, Dr. McEwan-Fujita now lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.