As one volume of the ‘Routledge studies in sociolinguistics’ series, Revivals, nationalism, and linguistic discrimination takes critical perspectives to examine how language plays a central role in shaping nationalist ideologies. It focuses on ‘movements of linguistic revival as well as the discourse of threat or discrimination that certain groups experience or construct’ (2) in various geopolitical and historical contexts. The volume employs grounded theory as the analytical approach, and theories from language ideology and critical discourse analysis as well, to analyze a series of representative case studies of Sinhala, Kazakh, Mongolian, Hong Kong Cantonese, and Catalan respectively.

The book consists of seven chapters. Chapter 1 introduces background information, key academic concepts and theories, and an overview of the volume. It specifically makes a clear distinction between the two terms revival and revitalization, and also argues that notions of so-called disadvantage and marginalization can be artificially framed and constructed. The first case study, in chapter 2, targets Sri Lanka, where the whole nation experienced one of the most destructive revivalist movements. It then delves into the transition of the complicated ethnic tensions between Sinhalese and Tamils in the past decades, which illustrates that languages can become radically dangerous domains when ‘politicized and abused for discriminatory projects’ (16).

In chapters 3 and 4, the analyses are drawn from semistructured interviews with a total of twenty-six participants in Kazakhstan and thirty-two in Mongolia. Chapter 3 outlines Kazakhstan's history, current political situation, and major language policies, and it further elaborates on the construction of ‘nationhood’ and its self-positioning on both the domestic as well as international stage. Chapter 4 presents how ‘Mongolianness’ has been defined, and how the perception of external linguistic and cultural threats influences its national politics and Mongolian identity formation. It is stated in chapter 5 that ‘using language and identity to build a nationalist base’ (74) in the Hong Kong context is quite difficult. The linguistic debate in Hong Kong in terms of cultural, educational, and political dimensions is looked at, so as to explore the intertwined relationships between Cantonese and Mandarin, and how Cantonese is cast as endangered and threatened. Chapter 6 critically explores the literature on language ecology and language revival efforts in Catalonia, which is one of the wealthiest provinces in Spain as well as a notable ‘classic’ case with the dominant European model of the homogenous nation-state.

The final chapter of this book concisely reviews the five cases one by one, and provides some other revival contexts, including Ireland, Latvia, and Ukraine, to illustrate the ‘dubious nature of the roots behind linguistic ethnocentrism’ (109). In conclusion, it puts forward the implications and possible futures against the backdrop of the growing nationalist movements worldwide. It will be of great value, but not limited to linguists, educators, and policymakers, who are interested in the sociolinguistics of nationalism and other topics involved in this well-written and insightful book.