Full Description
Presents a situated, ethnographically grounded, sociolinguistic critique of politics of difference and inequality in contemporary Central Europe.
This book explores the construction of linguistic, 'languaged' and professional subjectivities in the context of refugee support work in Austria. It presents ethnographic insights into how language and linguistic practice come to 'matter' both as part of a migration infrastructure in transformation, and in the efforts within a particular institution to reinvent itself as it struggles for survival in the context of shrinking public and state support for refugee provision.
The author focuses on how transformation processes play out in counsellors' and volunteer interpreters' conceptions of themselves as professionals and speaking subjects when confronted with the political and ethical dilemmas of an increasingly precarised work context. It becomes clear that language remains a sign of Otherness, even while being central to the services offered.
Contents
Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. From Speaking Subjects at Work to Languaged Workers
Chapter 3. 'We Have No Apartments'
Chapter 4. The Emergency List
Chapter 5. Being a 'Good' Counsellor
Chapter 6. Arabic Speaking Staff
Chapter 7. Managing Volunteer Interpreters
Chapter 8. The Value(s) of Volunteering
Chapter 9. Volunteers' Meetings
Chapter 10. Conclusions and Outlook
