Language, (in)security and everyday practice

Language, (in)security and everyday practice

Invited talk in Linguistics and Phonetics by Ben Rampton, Kings College

This paper explores the relationship between linguistics and critical security studies (CSS) in contexts where legacies of violent conflict, unease and (in)security permeate everyday life more and more deeply, where schools, nurseries, hospitals and community centres are becoming sites of security, and the security apparatus is becoming more diffuse and routine.  Drawing on two projects studying language socialisation in contexts affected by large-scale conflict, as well as on an interdisciplinary dialogue developing between CSS and linguistic ethnography, it questions the adequacy of applied linguistic concepts developed in conditions of peace and stability, and considers some alternatives.