National Identity Language And Education In Malaysia

This book explores the ways in which language and education policies have contributed to the development of national integration in Malaysia, by examining whether and how policies have succeeded in forming a middle ground. Considered through the lenses of policy-making structure and achievement, this volume examines the relationships between the formation of a middle ground in language and education policies and the political structure, economic growth strategies and social system. It then goes on to explore the extent to which these policies have contributed to national integration whilst providing a valuable discussion on the complexities involved in developing a consistent policy framework. Drawing on research surveys of Malay proficiency amongst ethnic Chinese people, it ultimately demonstrates how the unification of education streams has contributed to the spread of the Malay language as a major medium of inter-ethnic communication within the Chinese community. As the most up-to-date study of contemporary Malaysian politics, focusing on the issue of national integration, this book will appeal to students and scholars of Southeast Asian politics, ethnicity, and education policy.

Set in Malaysia, this book encompasses language and cultural policy challenges that many other multi-ethnic nations currently have to address. The people of Malaysia constitute a diverse ethnic, linguistic and cultural population and one of the continuing challenges is the development and establishment of the Malaysian people’s ethnic, national and global cultural identities. This challenge is evident in the journey of language and cultural policy from the post-independence period to the 21st century; a period of over 50 years. The book highlights political, socio-cultural, economic and knowledge economy factors as they impact on decisions made by the government with regard to language policy in the various educational systems. It examines decisions made on the selection of the national language, the medium of instruction in educational systems, the varying changes in language policy for the field of science and technology and the maintenance and sustenance of minority languages.

Language and National Identity in Asia is a comprehensive introduction to the role of language in the construction and development of nations and national identities in Asia. Leading scholars from all over the world investigate the role languages have played and now play in the formation of the national and social identity in countries throughout South, East, and Southeast Asia. They consider the relation of the regions' languages to national, ethnic, and cultural identity, and examine the status of and interactions between majority, official, and minority languages. Illustrated with maps and accessibly written this book will interest all those concerned to understand the dynamics of social change in some of the most important countries in the world. It will appeal to all those studying, researching, or teaching issues in Asian society, language, and politics from a comparative perspective.

About the Author Faizah Idrus completed her Phd in Education in 2012 specifically in Sociolinguistics from The University of Nottingham, United Kingdom. Her PhD thesis was entitled: The Construction of Shared Malaysian Identity in the Malaysian Literature Classrooms. She obtained her Master’s Degree in Professional Studies in Education from The University of Leicester, United Kingdom and her Bachelor’s Degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from The University of Leeds, United Kingdom. She has written numerous articles related to her field of studies. She has written two books and also an Editor of several compilation books. She has more than 30 years’ experience as a primary, secondary school teacher as well as an academic at Higher Education Institutions. Her interests include but not confined to English as a Second Language, Language, identity and Community and Teacher Education, Culturally Responsive Teaching, Cultural Intelligences etc. She is currently an academic at Department of Language and Literacy, Kulliyyah of Education, International Islamic University Malaysia.

Bringing together scholarship on issues relating to language, culture, and identity, with a special focus on Asian countries, this volume makes an important contribution in terms of analyzing and demonstrating how language is closely linked with crucial social, political, and economic forces, particularly the tensions between the demands of globalization and local identity. A particular feature is the inclusion of countries that have been under-represented in the research literature, such as Nepal, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Pakistan, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Korea. The book is organized in three sections: Globalization and its Impact on Language Policies, Culture, and Identity Language Policy and the Social (Re)construction of National Cultural Identity Language Policy and Language Politics: The Role of English. Unique in its attention to how the domination of English is being addressed in relation to cultural values and identity by non-English speaking countries in a range of sociopolitical contexts, this volume will help readers to understand the impact of globalization on non-English speaking countries, particularly developing countries, which differ significantly from contexts in the West in their cultural orientations and the way identities are being constructed. Language Policy, Culture, and Identity in Asian Contexts will interest scholars and research students in the areas of language policy, education, sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, and critical linguistics. It can be adopted in graduate and advanced undergraduate courses on language policy, language in society, and language education.

An overview of language rights issues and language conflicts with detailed examination of many cases past and present around the world.

Noting ASEAN's adoption of English as its sole workng language, this book analyzes the language education policies of Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Sri Lanka and China, and traces the influence of globalization on English language education in Asia.