Power, Prestige and Bilingualism

International Perspectives on Elite Bilingual Education

By (author) Dr. Anne-Marie de Mejía

Publication date:

22 July 2002

Publisher

Multilingual Matters

Dimensions:

245x174mm
7x10"

ISBN-13: 9781853595912

This book describes a particular type of educational provision referred to as ‘elite’ or ‘prestigious’ bilingual education, which caters mainly for upwardly mobile, highly educated, higher socio-economic status learners of two or more internationally useful languages. The development of different types of elite bilingual or multilingual educational provision is discussed and an argument is made for the need to study bilingual education in majority as well as in minority contexts.

Foreword
Introduction
Acknowledgements
Part 1 General Perspectives and Issues
1 Elite Bilingualism as a World-wide Phenomenon
2 Definitions and Distinctions
3 Elite Bilingualism as a Sociocultural Phenomenon
4 Teaching and Learning in Elite Bilingual Classrooms
5 Relationships and Participants in Elite Bilingual Educational Processes
6 Research Traditions and Trends, Partnerships and Empowerment in Elite Bilingual Educational Contexts
Part 2 Overview of Elite Bilingual Provision in Specific Contexts of Implementation
7 Africa: Multilingualism, Vernaculars, Intra- and International Languages
8 South America: From Provision for Expatriates to Bilingual Education for Host Country Nationals
9 Asia: ‘Languages of the Head and Languages of the Heart’
10 Europe: Prestige Languages and International Communication
11 Oceania: Immersion in Languages Other than English
12 The Discourse of Elite Bilingual Education: A Critical Analysis
13 Common Problem Areas in the Practice of Bilingual Pedagogy in Elite Educational Contexts
14 Conclusions and Future Perspectives on Practice and Research in Elite Bilingual Education
References
Index

De Mejia’s book is undoubtedly an exceptionally thought-provoking and stimulating reading…. an innovative work that raises many questions about a new interesting field of research on bilingualism and education. It is a highly recommended book which deserves to be read carefully by scholars, language planners, teachers and parents.