Markus Rheindorf & Ruth Wodak's Sociolinguistic perspectives on migration control conceptualizes the intricate nature of migration in a globalized world. The volume, published as part of the ‘Language, mobility and institutions’ series, is comprised of seven chapters that evaluate the realities of mobility through a wide scope of vantage points, all of which focus on certain aspects of migration that impact institutions, including multilingualism, globalization, populism, nationalism, and related concepts. In this review, the chapters are arranged by research topic to reflect one of the main goals of the volume: to foreground migrant voices in discussions of migration policy. The text examines these voices through ethnography, fieldwork, and quantitative and qualitative methods of empirical research. While some chapters contribute to the aims of the book more than others, a diverse range of sociolinguistic perspectives on migration inform the reader of the influential standing language has in society through modern examples involving institutions and their underlying structures.
At the start of the volume, Rheindorf & Wodak introduce the ‘international crisis in migration policy’ that has been fueled by global conflicts, events, and actors (9). The first chapter foregrounds the text with insight into the ever-changing realm of migration policy. Rheindorf & Wodak trace public attitudes toward migrants from the traditional hands-off approach of states to the current ones shaped by populism and nationalism under the guise of ‘security’ (11). The introduction successfully illustrates the pressure states place on migrants to assimilate—especially through language acquisition—to emphasize the relationship between language, mobility, and institutions. Rheindorf & Wodak posit three questions that authors in the volume attempt to address, which guide the reader. The introduction concludes with a synopsis of each chapter based on the perspectives and research methods used to analyze language and migration. Together, these individual sections reveal the ‘interdependence between language and migration’ (27).
Language has become deeply intertwined with the migration policies of different states, as the example of the former Yugoslavia illustrates. The second chapter of the volume, written by Kristof Savski, focuses on the role state boundaries play in migration over time. The chapter provides valuable background information on the past, present, and future of Slovenia (previously a part of Yugoslavia) to understand how it impacts modern language policy. This section is significant in the text because it shows how conflict in a region has long-term consequences for its inhabitants, particularly those that deviate from the desired language norms established by a state. In the case of Slovenia, a large influx of ‘Ex-Yu’ immigrants sparked a restriction in ‘collective linguistic rights’ for migrants due to the region's complex history of ethnic, religious, and political conflicts (34).
The example of Austria in chapter 6 further capitalizes on language to deprive migrants of human rights. Rheindorf & Wodak explore the shift in public and political discourse that incited Austria's transition from an open borders policy to limiting asylum applications. Like most of the text, the chapter focuses on discourse as a tool for politicians to legitimize the immigration policies they enact by persuading the public that such actions align ‘with the moral order of society’ (139). The chapter touches on a variety of concepts that contributed to the change in Austrian politics, such as argumentation schemata, topoi, and ultimately, legitimation. While the text provides a comprehensive overview and thorough examination of its quantitative and qualitative research, it becomes difficult for a reader to absorb the entire scope of the content due to its sheer depth. Thus, a more concise analysis of the chapter's content would be beneficial.
While the previous chapters primarily explore the discourses of public groups and institutions, chapters 3, 4, 5, and 7 draw on ethnography and fieldwork to give migrant voices a platform they frequently do not have. In chapter 3, Tony Capstick provides an interesting view of discrimination through an interview with Usman, a Pakistani immigrant in the UK. Literacy is a central focus of the chapter because it plays a crucial role in the subject's personal and professional life, as is the case for most—if not all—migrants. The interview illustrates how public discourse begins at lower levels, such as the pizza restaurant Usman works at, and eventually becomes reflected in public policy. In terms of reader experience, Capstick's ethnographic approach is both captivating and illuminating in its exploration of language testing, intra-ethnic discrimination, power, resistance, and related structures that oppress migrants like Usman. The layout of the text allows the audience to follow along with the interview and Capstick's analysis of Usman's comments. Capstick also provides an enlightening perspective on how multilingual repertoires operate on social media, the first analysis of its kind thus far in the text.
In chapter 4, Anna De Fina includes an analysis of digital texts in her pursuit of ethnographic research concerning Dreamers in the US. De Fina provides an informative example of social movements led by migrants in response to migration policies. Specifically, the chapter analyzes right-wing populism's influence on anti-immigration discourse and the impactful reaction Dreamers had to it—another instance of the text giving voice to migrants. Before delving into the content, De Fina conveniently lays out the structure of the chapter and defines ‘Dreamers’ for readers who may not be familiar with the term. The chapter analyzes the storytelling strategy migrants use through thirteen biographical narratives posted to a blog from March 2016 to March 2017. De Fina's text is notable because it presents issues related to migration and institutions—in this case, the US government—and highlights the discourse methods migrants use in their activist pursuits of equality and justice. Chapter 4 illustrates that, while language confines migrants, it can also become a source of power.
Both chapters 5 and 7 of the volume involve a common motivation for migration: an improved standard of living that may not be possible in one's host country. Jo Angouri, Marina Paraskevaidi, & Federico Zannoni use the constructivist approach in chapter 5 to discuss the narratives of young people who migrate in search of a ‘better life’ (111). As the title of the series implies, belonging is a central concept in the work, and it is effectively applied in this chapter to diasporas and the modern situations migrants encounter. The text explores these concepts in forty interviews with people who became emigrants or immigrants in response to the financial crisis in Greece and Italy. While the subject of study is an interesting one, the authors did not provide insight into the historical features of the financial crisis, which is what Savski, Rheindorf, and Wodak did in their chapters. The background of the event is not crucial to the text, but it would have allowed readers to gain more insight into the subjects of research. By contrast, the authors do define many of the words that are discussed in the text, which is helpful for readers, especially those new to sociolinguistics.
In the final chapter of the text, Iair G. Or & Elana Shohamy present the unique struggles between Thai migrant workers, Jewish farmers, and the state of Israel. Unlike the chapters explored thus far, the challenges caused by migration are not solely toward migrants, but also citizens of the host state. The authors explain how the discourse of Jewish farmers has changed, revealing a number of sociopolitical and historical dimensions of the context that are crucial to the study of sociolinguistics. For example, the bilateral agreement between Thailand and Israel concerning migrant workers occurred when Israel began phasing out reliance on Palestinian workers after 1989. The analysts use critical discourse analysis to gauge the realities of Thai workers, Jewish farmers, and Israel through materials found in the national press and online. Or & Shohamy's analysis emphasizes the convoluted nature of migration in the globalized world through the perspective of all three actors caught in a dynamic scenario involving language, mobility, and institutions.
While each chapter provides a unique and informative perspective on various topics, the volume presents a unified analysis of the relationship between language, mobility, and institutions. The authors fulfill the goal they established when compiling the volume: to evaluate how migration operates within the context of globalization with a focus on migrant voices. The text applies concepts central to sociolinguistics, such as indexicality, recontextualization, discourse, and the linguistic market, to contemporary examples of migration. Although the chapters contain in-depth research related to sociolinguistics, most authors provide enough explanation and background information so that those both familiar and unfamiliar with the field can derive useful conclusions from the volume. The application of sociolinguistic perspectives to migration policy emphasizes the critical role language has in forming the lives of migrants—a reality that only grows in scale in the globalized world.
