Can Separatist Ethnonationalist States Create Inclusive Multilingual Education Policies? Evidence from The Iranian Plateau

Abstract

In this article, the author draws on evidence from newly emerged states’ language policy and planning in the Iranian Plateau, and its surrounding Silk Roads region, in order to illustrate that the European nation-state model has been a major cause of linguistic discrimination in this region although separatist movements can assume that establishing a new state can protect their ethnic languages. The adaptation of this form of governance in these territories has seriously damaged the region’s organic linguistic repertoire. The failure of the modern state to provide an inclusive language policy has long been observed and discussed in the field of sociology of language. In this article, the author provides examples to show that newly emerged nation-states oppress the Indigenous minority languages within them and fall short of satisfactorily addressing the language issues of immigrants because of their narrow and inflexible definitions of nationhood and national identity. Additionally, the author illustrates that nation-states not only target minority languages, but also they undermine the very ethnic language that they claim to promote. This happens by elevating the status of one variation of the ethnic language and at the same time devaluating the other dialects and accents. The author concludes that investment in nation-statism may or may not lead to the creation of a state that is respectful of linguistic human rights. A more meaningful investment in terms of language planning is organizing anti-discrimination movements both in current larger states or possible future ethnic states.

Keywords

• Multilingual education
• Monoglossia
• Separatist movements
• Mother tongue
• Ethnic identity