Conference Details

Language as a Social Justice Issue Conference. Held on 26th of November, 2014 at Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia.

Social Justice involves ensuring that all members of society have an equal opportunity to gain from, and contribute to society. It requires the identification of cases where equality is not present, and the finding of ways to engage these individuals in society to ensure that they do optimally share in the benefits of the social world.

Language is arguably the most fundamental way in which people become marginalised because it remains the essence of communication whether talking, emailing, texting, or writing. People’s difficulties in communication and linguistic understanding can consequently restrict their capacity to engage with (and be engaged by) society. Language can, however, also be a medium for redressing social injustices and developing human and social capital.

The Language as a Social Justice Issue Conference was a public event organised by the Edith Cowan University Social Justice Research Group. Featuring speakers presenting original research, the conference’s purpose was to explore language as a social justice issue from a range of perspectives.

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Submissions from 2014

The Power of Medical Language and Social Justice Principles, Hossein Adibi

Language: An Important Social and Cultural Marker of Identity, Vicki Banham

English as Social Capital among Immigrants and Refugees in Australian Communities, Justine Dandy and Rogelia Pe Pua

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Language Maintenance and Transmission: The Case of Cajun French, Celine Doucet

The Use of Language to Disempower: A Longitudinal Study of Women in Sri Lanka, Peter Hancock, Max Oliveira, Geoff Carastathis, and Jonathan Georgiou

General Practitioners' Perceptions of Barriers to Servicing Aboriginal people with Acquired Communication Disorders in WA, Deborah Hersh, Elizabeth Armstrong, Meaghan McAllister, and Missing Voices Research Team

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Social Justice Issues in the Education of Aboriginal English Speakers, Ian G. Malcolm

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Language Skills in Incarcerated Young Offenders: Links with Offending Severity, Pamela Snow