The Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism and Language Learning, hosted by the Fryske Akademy, invites you to participate in the 1st Mercator International Conference on the theme of Shaping Policy for Minority Languages and Multilingualism on 7–8 November 2024.

The aim of this conference is to provide a platform for and to stimulate critical discussions on policy development for minority languages and multilingualism in various contexts, from the home to education. We invite presentations that examine language policies, practices, ideologies, and attitudes at all levels (international, national, regional, societal, institutional, group, family, and individual).

We welcome proposals for presentations from people of all career stages that engage with the themes of the conference. Postgraduate students and early career researchers are particularly encouraged to participate.

We especially welcome contributions on the following topics:

• Inclusive multilingual education – the didactics of multilingualism
• Minority language and multilingual education and assessment
• Family language policy
• Multilingual pedagogical approaches (e.g. CLIL and translanguaging)
• Linguistic diversity in teacher training programmes
• Parental involvement in language(s) education
• Community perspectives on language policy developments
• Regional and neighbouring language education
• Linguistic diversity and (global) citizenship Language attitudes and their impact on language policy formulation and implementation
• Distance (language) learning – consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for multilingual and minority language learners
• Bilingual and trilingual education Case studies and best practices in language policy development

Target audience

Researchers, lecturers, teacher educators, pre- and in-service teachers, students, special education practitioners, NT2 professionals, social workers, youth workers, policymakers, and anyone else who is interested in minority languages, multilingualism, and language policy.

Abstracts

Abstracts can be submitted for:

• Oral presentation (20-minute presentation + 10-minute discussion)
• Poster presentation
• Symposium – presentation of three contributions on an overarching topic, with an introduction and summary by a chair (90 minutes)

Submission instructions

• Abstracts for oral or poster presentations should be no longer than 300 words (excluding references and 3–5 keywords).
• Abstracts for symposia should be no longer than 1,200 words (excluding references and 3–5 keywords). Symposium abstracts should include a general introduction (300 words) as well as individual descriptions (300 words each) of the presentations.

All abstracts will undergo double-blind review, involving a minimum of two reviewers, in which presenters and reviewers are unaware of each other’s identities.

Participants can submit a maximum of one proposal where they are the sole presenter, and one proposal where they are co-presenters. Please note that all presentations are expected to be carried out in English and in person. To submit an abstract, please complete this form.

Key dates

• Abstracts are due by 15 May 2024.
• Notifications will be sent out on 28 June 2024.
• Registration begins on 28 June 2024.

Conference fee

The conference fee is €100.00 for both days or €50.00 for 1 day, including lunches and drinks, and a conference dinner on 7 November.

Accommodation

The Oranje Hotel in Leeuwarden is offering a 15% discount for conference participants through its website (please use discount code VIP15).

Organising committee

Jelske Dijkstra
Suzanne Dekker
Charlie Robinson-Jones
Martine Jansen
Inge Heslinga
Helga Kuipers-Zandberg
Katharina Thomas

Contact

For enquiries, please contact the organising committee or visit the website.

We look forward to welcoming you to Leeuwarden in November!