February 21, 2022, is a special day for civil-cultural rights activists. On the one hand, February 21 is International Mother Language Day. On the other hand, 2022 is the first year of UNESCO’s “Decade of Indigenous Languages” (2022 – 2032) to focus on Indigenous language users’ human rights, prioritizing indigenous language users’ empowerment.
Roya Institute for Global Justice is pleased that on such an important day share its call for a book chapter on “Legal Clinics, Linguistic Diversity, and Educational Justice.”
The idea is that in celebrating “Decade of Indigenous Languages,” we provide an edited book on “Linguistic Diversity” in its broad meaning, not just the exact and limited meaning of the “Indigenous Languages” term.
We invite all interested persons to participate in this project by presenting research ideas and findings in the form of a book chapter.
The book will organize into two parts:
1- General Discussions:
including but not limited to:
– Learning the Mother Language and receiving education in the mother tongue as a human right,
– Background of recognition of one or two of nation’s languages in the constitution, and its effects on linguistic diversity and educational justice
– Street Law programs in local and indigenous languages; Necessities, challenges, initiatives, and solutions
– Assess the role of the Internet and social media in the preservation or death of local languages
-Analyzing the role of globalization in the preservation or extinction of local languages – The role of legal clinics in the legal protection of local languages
– Access to local languages in the judicial process
– The need for the official version of the rules to be available in local languages
– Legal analysis of the UNESCO language classification into Six groups (Safe, Vulnerable, Definitely endangered, Severely endangered, Critically endangered, Extinct)
– Analyzing the duties of governments for supporting each of the country’s six groups of languages
– Children’s Right, Education, local and indigenous languages moot point
2- Case Studies:
in this part, authors will provide analysis of their selected country, state, or jurisdiction on issues such as:
– Linguistic diversity in the country and the constitution’s position and other laws about them: For example, has the constitution introduced one or more languages as the country’s official language?
– What language is taught in schools and universities, especially in areas where the linguistic minorities are the majority? The national language or local language?
– What is the script and language of educational texts and resources?
– Are the laws and regulations officially translated and published in local and indigenous languages?
– Is the use of local and indigenous languages allowed in quasi-judicial courts and tribunals? For example, can judges, prosecutors, jury members, lawyers, and witnesses use the local language?
– Do judges accept citations to documents written in local languages?
– Is the use of local and indigenous languages in questions and answers, forms, and paperwork in police stations allowed?
– Is the use of local and indigenous languages in commercial and banking documents and insurance, transportation, and the like allowed?
– Are there legal safeguards and policies in place to protect local and indigenous languages, especially those at risk of extinction?
– Do legal clinics work to protect citizens’ right to use local and indigenous languages in educational, judicial, and similar processes?
– Do legal clinics use local and indigenous languages in their street law and other programs?
At this step, please send us a chapter proposal of 800 to 1,000 words clearly explaining key question/s, core ideas, and achievements of your proposed chapter by Thursday, March 31, 2022, through:
Please write “Chapter for the Legal Clinics, Linguistic Diversity Book” in the email’s subject line.
Executive details will be sent by Saturday, April 30, 2022, to those whose proposals have been accepted.