Since the turn of the millennium, several European countries have introduced language and knowledge of society requirements for residence rights and citizenship. Such requirements contribute in...
Since the turn of the millennium, several European countries have introduced language and knowledge of society requirements for residence rights and citizenship. Such requirements contribute in different ways to insecurity regarding the future and the duration of protection for people who have been granted refugee status.
In this episode Prof. Cecilie Hamnes Carlsen at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences speaks about the consequences of making political rights and stable protection for refugees depended on language and knowledge of society (KoS) tests. Based on extensive research in the field, she explains how language and KoS-tests work as tools of selection that systematically disfavours groups of people, such as those with low levels of literacy, women, and people with health issues such as PTSD. Highlighting how language tests reduce the number of refugees who acquire permanent residence and citizenship and work to exclude people from basic human rights and social inclusion, Carlsen argues that language tests should be understood in terms of structural racism.
References mentioned in this podcast:
McNamara, T. (2020). The Anti-Shibboleth: The Traumatic Character of the Shibboleth as Silence. Applied Linguistics: 1–19
Rocca, L., Carlsen, C. H., Deygers, B. (2020). Linguistic Integration of Adult Migrants: Requirements and Learning Opportunities. Strasbourg: CoE Conseil de l'Europe - brochure A4 portrait (coe.int)
Shohamy, E. (2007). Language tests as language policy tools, Assessment in Education, 14:1, 117-130
Goodman, S.W. (2010). Integration Requirements for Integration's Sake? Identifying, Categorising and Comparing Civic Integration Policies, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 36:5, 753-772
Goodman, S.W. (2011) Controlling Immigration through Language and Country Knowledge Requirements, West European Politics, 34:2, 235-255
Oers, R. V., & Kostakopoulou, T. (2010). A re-definition of belonging?: Language and integration tests in Europe. Martinus Njihoff Publishers.
Further readings:
Carlsen, C. H. & Rocca, L. (2021) Language Test Misuse. Language Assessment Quarterly 18(5):477-495. Full article: Language Test Misuse (tandfonline.com)
Carlsen, C. H. (2021) Social justice & structural racism – the role of language, language tests and language testers. Presentation at The 1st international ALTE conference. April 21st 2021 Social justice and structural racism: the role of language, language tests and language testers - YouTube
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