Multilingualism and the Construction of New Political Identities

Complex diversity is leading to new forms of multilingualism, which are linked to a dynamic of transnationalization that entails the uncoupling of territorially based allegiances, on the one hand, and political, social, and cultural practices, on the other hand. This requires a reassessment of the relationship between language and the construction of socio-political identities, a relationship that has a particularly intricate character in Europe. We have to develop appropriate ways for conceptualizing identity, the politics of linguistic identity, and citizenship against the background of complex diversity. More specifically, one of the key questions to be examined in this context is to what extent transnationalization and Europeanization are contributing to the emergence of new patterns of connecting linguistic repertoires to civic identities. It seems tempting to see multilingualism as a substantial component of diversity-sensitive identities which allow the articulation of cultural differences in a heterogeneous environment and are at the same time conducive to the making of a shared civic space. The paper argues that innovative responses to the current challenges of language policy in Europe are rather articulated ‘from below’, in the different realms of a potentially transformative multilingual practice, than in the largely symbolic official discourses on multilingualism typically embraced by EU institutions.