University multilingualism: a critical narrative from the University of the Western Cape, South Africa

Abstract

This article offers a narrative of the University of the Western Cape, South Africa, from the prism of the duality of language as a co-modality (with people, protest, policy and practices) for constituting the institution in whole or in part and as a reflection of its co-modalities. For its framing, the narrative eclectically draws on language politics and policy, a grammar of multilingual landscapes and the epistemology of linguistics. Besides contributing to a historiography of university language policies, the narrative has implications for language policy analysis.

Keywords:

• UWC
• protest
• diversity
• language policy
• multilingualism

Acknowledgements

Part of this article was written during a research stay at the University of Bielefeld, Germany and my host, Oliver Razum, is thanked. Further, comments by anonymous reviewers are also appreciated.

Funding

The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is thanked for funding a research stay in Bielefeld, Germany.

Additional information

Funding

Funding: The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is thanked for funding a research stay in Bielefeld, Germany.