Local Languages and Education in Southeast Asia
Book
Moussons n°45
Directed by Nicolas Salem-Gervais and Jérôme Samuel
July 2025, 296 pages
ISBN 979-10-320-0564-4
English text
IRASEC is pleased to share the publication of 45th issue of the review Moussons.
Southeast Asia is a region characterized by its diversity, particularly in terms of languages. This makes questions relating to local languages particularly acute, especially in terms of their place in education systems, whether as languages of instruction or as subjects. The stakes of these choices in terms of school language policies are indeed multiple and crucial : preservation of linguistic and cultural diversity ; access to education for ethnic minorities ; implications in terms of conception and adherence to national identities. After an introduction presenting linguistic diversity in Southeast Asia, the potential benefits of including these local languages in formal education and the challenges these policies are likely to face, this issue of Moussons offers 6 contributions related to the theme. Written by specialists (researchers and practitioners), they deal with Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines and Singapore. Through the very diverse situations of these countries—in terms of ethnolinguistic landscapes, language and education policies, and trajectories as nations—readers will gain insights to enrich their understanding of some of the major issues underpinning language policies in the world of education, in the light of the South-East Asian context. A varia article, a research and field note and a contribution “out of frame” complete this issue.
2 July 2025
