Language activism: Imaginaries and strategies of minority language equality

Abstract

While top-down policies have yet to establish equality for speakers of minoritized languages, activists and advocates at local levels play a significant role in the pursuit of social change. Through an ethnographic account of Diidxazá (Isthmus Zapotec) language activism in Oaxaca, Mexico, this volume examines language activism as a social project with a moving target and illustrates a flexible repertoire of activism strategies. An exploration of the strategies of educators, students, writers, scholars, artists, and others illuminates both shared and conflicting imaginaries of what positive social change is and how it should be achieved. Diverse actors and imaginaries all contribute to a broad repertoire of strategies that may inform and encourage language activists working to bring linguistic equality closer to reality in other contexts.