[Commlist] CFP: Journal of Language and Discrimination - special issue on language-based marginalization

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The Journal of Language and Discrimination invites researchers working 
on language and marginalization to submit an article for its thematic 
issue to be published in 2026.

Thematic issue
Marginalization is a pervasive phenomenon in contemporary societies, 
characterized by the social exclusion and sidelining of certain 
individuals or groups, depriving them of equal access to resources, 
opportunities and fundamental rights (UN, 2014). This complex process 
can result from a variety of factors such as race, ethnicity, class, 
gender, sexual orientation and language. Language is certainly an 
indicator of marginalization, but it also plays a crucial role in the 
processes of marginalization. In fact, we use language to consciously 
and unconsciously perpetuate marginalization, as well as to resist it.
Marginality and marginalization are interdisciplinary concepts in social 
sciences. Park (1928: 881) was the first to introduce the notion of 
marginality in sociology. He coined the term “marginal man”, which was 
later developed by him and Stonequist (1937). Both were more interested 
in the marginalized individual and its characteristics than the 
processes of marginalization. Their theory was later expanded by 
Goldberg (1941), who wrote about the “marginal culture”. Since then, 
marginality has been viewed by a number of scholars as a problem, a 
challenge or a threat for society (Mowat 2015), while others take 
interest in its contribution to society, its dynamism and its vitality 
(Bottrell 2007; Bright 2011, Lumsden 1984, Mc Laughlin 2001, Stankovitch 
2020).
The concept of marginalization that we want to adopt in this special 
issue is understood as a process that responds to a dual logic, 
following the Bakhtinian notion of dialogism, which emphasizes the 
continuous acts of communication between the self and the other in a 
ceaseless attempt to position oneself (Bakhtin 1981, Bos 2008). On the 
one hand, it is inscribed in power and status relationships and may 
therefore involve both inclusion and exclusion on the part of dominant 
and dominated individuals, those within the norm or in the margins. On 
the other hand, it presupposes active cooperation between these two 
groups. The position of the marginalized is recognized in the dominant 
discourse, where it is even functional; marginalization is a constant 
dialogue between the one who marginalizes and the marginalized (Bourdieu 
1992, Bos 2008). It is not a question of studying the margin as such but 
of understanding how it is constitutive of the center, how both are 
constructed, defined, and evolve, and how this dialogue is central to 
our understanding of reality (Bailly 1994; Barel 1982; Bourdieu 1992; 
Bos 2008; Rocher 1971; Wacquant 2008).

That being said, marginalization has not been theorized in 
sociolinguistics. The concept is generally used as part of the umbrella 
term discrimination. It is to fill this gap that this special issue is 
dedicated to the in-depth exploration of the relationship between 
language and marginalization. Through several analytical axes, we aim to 
explore the various ways in which language can be a factor in 
marginalization, a tool in marginalization processes, and at the same 
time, a subversive force capable of challenging oppressive norms and 
defying power structures.

For this issue, we invite submissions that address language-based 
marginalization from a variety of perspectives, including, but not 
limited to, the following topics:
-	How language choice affects marginalized people
-	The use of language in the processes of marginalization
-	Linguistic strategies and resistance to marginalization
-	Language policy as a tool for marginalization
-	Marginalized languages, marginalized people
-	Language ideologies and marginalization
-	Deconstructing biases around marginalization
-	Marginalizing language practices -	Identity-based strategies to resist 
language-based marginalization
-	Contesting marginalization
Articles may come from sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, linguistic 
anthropology, education, sociology, communication and media studies, or 
any other related discipline.

Submission information
The timeline is as follows:
-	Abstract submission: June 1, 2024
-	Notification and invitation to submit an article: June 14, 2024
-	Final deadline for submission of article: September 15, 2024
-	Peer review, notifications, and revisions: From October 2024 to April 2025
-	Estimated publication time of issue: 2026

Please visit the Journal of Language and Discrimination website for 
author guidelines: https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JLD/about/submissions.

Note that there are no article processing charges; no payment from the 
authors will be required.
Questions about this issue can be addressed to Marie-Eve Bouchard: 
(me.bouchard /at/ ubc.ca)

Guest editors Marie-Eve Bouchard and Annabelle Glas, The University of 
British Columbia, Canada.


References

Bailly, A.-S. (1995). La marginalité, une approche historique et 
épistémologique. Anales de Geografia de la Universidad Complutense, 15: 
109-117.

Barel, Y. (1982). La marginalité sociale. Paris: Presses Universitaires 
de France.

Bakthin, M. (1981) The Dialogic Imagination: Four Essays by M. M.
Bakthin (Ed. By Michael Holquist). Austin: The University of Texas Press.

Bos, J. (2008). Les types de marginalisation dans leur relation 
constitutive au discours. L'Homme & la Société, 167-168-169: 177-201.
Bottrell, D. (2007). Resistance, resilience and social identities: 
Reframing ‘problem youth’ and the problem of schooling. Journal of Youth 
Studies, 10(5): 597–616.

Bourdieu, P. (1992). Language and Symbolic Power. Oxford: Polity Press.

Bright, N. G. (2011). ‘Non-servile virtuosi’ in insubordinate spaces: 
School disaffection, refusal and resistance in a former English 
coalfield. European Educational Research Journal, 10(4): 502–515.

Goldberg, M. (1941). A qualification of the marginal man theory. 
American Sociological Review, 6(1): 52-58.

Lumsden, D. (1984). Community Mental Health in Action. Toronto: Canadian 
Mental Health Association.

McLaughlin, N. (2001). Optimal marginality. The Sociological Quarterly, 
42(2): 271-288.

Mowat, J. G. (2015). Towards a new conceptualisation of marginalisation. 
European Educational Research Journal, 14(5): 454-476.

Park, R. E. (1928). Human migration and the marginal man. American 
Journal of Sociology, 33(6): 881-893.

Rocher, G. (1971). La marginalité sociale. Un réservoir de contestation. 
In C. Ryan (Ed.), Le Québec qui se fait, 41-47. Montreal: Les Éditions 
Hurtubise.

Stankovich, A. (2020). Intermarginalité et plurimarginalité : les 
actions revendicatrices des groupes marginaux, un moteur de changement 
favorable à l'inclusion. MA Thesis. Rimouski:  Université du Québec à 
Rimouski.

Stonequist, Everett V. (1937/1961) The marginal man: A study in 
personality and culture conflict. New York: Russell & Russell.
United Nations (UN). (2014). Marginalized groups: UN human rights expert 
calls for an end to relegation. Available online: 
https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2014/06/marginalized-groups-un-human-rights-expert-calls-end-relegation

Wacquant, L. (2008). Urban Outcast: A Comparative Sociology of Advanced 
Marginality. Cambridge: Polity.

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