Language Policy and State Crime

Summary

The central agent of language policy is the state in the broad sense, which includes elected and appointed officials, the bureaucracy and the institutions, bodies and organisations that make up the government apparatus at the national, regional, or local level. Language policy can pursue very different aims. In a positive sense, language policy may aim to promote and protect minority languages, e.g. by encouraging multilingualism in education systems. But it may have completely opposite aims, e.g., aiming to suppress and persecute speakers of certain languages, exclude them from education systems and political and economic processes, and disrupt the environment in which minorities live, expropriating their territories and demolishing their cultural infrastructure. Language policies of this latter kind may be only one aspect of a broader process of systematic political, social, and economic oppression conducted by the state, in violation of fundamental human rights norms.

The concept of state crime is useful in this respect. State crime is defined as a crime committed on behalf of or with the complicity of governments. State crime involves acts of omission or commission that violate fundamental norms on which a state’s legitimacy is premised, such as the criminal law of the state itself or public international law.

The PhD proposals should aim to explore the relationship between language policy and state crime, either in the present or in the past, particularly in conflict/post-conflict settings. Applicants are invited to study current language policies that may currently qualify as a state crime, their nature, organisation, implementation, and ideological background. An alternative is to study today’s language policies that aim to repair state crimes committed in the past. This is an interdisciplinary topic of study spanning public policy, sociolinguistics, sociology, criminology, and political economy. Applications are encouraged and welcome from all these fields.

Essential criteria

Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class Honours Degree in a subject relevant to the proposed area of study.

We may also consider applications from those who hold equivalent qualifications, for example, a Lower Second Class Honours Degree plus a Master’s Degree with Distinction.

In exceptional circumstances, the University may consider a portfolio of evidence from applicants who have appropriate professional experience which is equivalent to the learning outcomes of an Honours degree in lieu of academic qualifications.

• Research proposal of 2000 words detailing aims, objectives, milestones and methodology of the project

Equal Opportunities

The University is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applicants from all sections of the community, particularly from those with disabilities.

Appointment will be made on merit.

Funding and eligibility

This project is funded by:

• Department for the Economy (DfE)
• Vice Chancellor's Research Scholarship (VCRS)

Our fully funded PhD scholarships will cover tuition fees and provide a maintenance allowance of £19,237 (tbc) per annum for three years* (subject to satisfactory academic performance).  A Research Training Support Grant (RTSG) of £900 per annum is also available.

These scholarships, funded via the Department for the Economy (DfE) and the Vice Chancellor’s Research Scholarships (VCRS), are open to applicants worldwide, regardless of residency or domicile.

Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.

*Part time PhD scholarships may be available, based on 0.5 of the full time rate, and will require a six year registration period (individual project advertisements will note where part time options apply).

Due consideration should be given to financing your studies.