New Directions and Challenges in Languages and Cultures in Australia : Looking Back, Moving Forward

In this edited volume, D’Orazzi, Hajek, Mullan, and Ohashi unveil the rich tapestry of language education across Australia’s diverse landscape. The contributors present various case studies and experimental practices that are transforming language learning in established European and Asian language programmes, as well as showcasing vital efforts to preserve and revitalise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages.

First-hand accounts in the volume reveal how collaborative approaches are creating resilient, inclusive language programmes, and explore evidence-based strategies for sustainable language programme development. The insights into decolonised pedagogical approaches that honour Indigenous knowledge systems, the proposed frameworks for cross-institutional collaboration, and the solutions to common challenges faced by language educators in English-dominant countries everywhere, all provide a roadmap for innovation applicable beyond Australian borders.

An essential resource for language and culture educators, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers from applied linguistics and language, this volume also offers substantive theoretical advancements while simultaneously providing innovative pedagogical frameworks for those dedicated to addressing diverse learner demographics.

Chapters Introduction and 4 of this book are freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

Giuseppe D’Orazzi is Senior Lecturer in ESL and Applied Linguistics in the School of Languages and Linguistics and Research Associate at the Centre for the Study of Higher Education, University of Melbourne, Australia.

John Hajek is President of the Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities (LCNAU), as well as Professor of Italian Studies at the University of Melbourne, Australia.

Kerry Mullan is Convenor of Languages and Professor of French Studies at RMIT University, Australia.

Jun Ohashi is Associate Professor of Japanese Studies at the University of Melbourne, Australia.