Decolonising Multilingualism: Struggles to Decreate (Writing without Borders, 1)

by Alison Phipps

What if my own multilingualism is simply that of one who is fluent in way too many colonial languages? If we are going to do this, if we are going to decolonise multilingualism, let’s do it as an attempt at a way of doing it. If we are going to do this, let’s cite with an eye to decolonising. If we are going to do this then let’s improvise and devise. This is how we might learn the arts of decolonising. If we are going to do this then we need different companions. If we are going to do this we will need artists and poetic activists. If we are going to do this, let’s do it in a way which is as local as it is global; which affirms the granulations of the way peoples name their worlds. Finally, if we are going to do this, let’s do it multilingually.

112 pages, Paperback

Published June 25, 2019

Reviews

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book makes me want to be a better academic. I particularly like the following quote: "There are many different judgements to be made about what to do with your privilege: own it; use it; pass it on; make space; and many other arts which need a lifetime of struggle, apology, reparation and some mutual celebration, which can hint at a post-decolonial world" (4).