Angela's current research interests are in arts-based linguistic ethnography and relational ethics. She intends to bring this perspective to a newly funded Horizon Europe research project (RIA 101177191) which runs from 1st January 2025 to 31st December 2027. This research project will collect and analyse evidence to inform language policy in Europe and is led by Angela Creese and Adrian Blackledge at the University of Warwick.
Strategies to strengthen European linguistic capital in a globalised world (MultiLX)
The language ecology of Europe has been transformed in recent times. Increased mobility of people has altered the linguistic map of Europe, while rapid developments in digital technology have changed the way people communicate. Our challenge in an increasingly diverse, digital and multilingual Europe is to develop language policy to shape a future for young people which is inclusive, democratic and equitable.
Aim
The MultiLX research project will provide new knowledge about the communicative practices and language ideologies of young people in Europe. This new knowledge will be translated into recommendations for language policy to support languaging in Europe, including protection of endangered languages, learning minority languages and promotion of the languages of migrants. The project will shape the future of inclusive multilingual policy and practice in Europe.
Objectives
- Create new knowledge about the impact of digitalisation.
- Generate new knowledge about the communicative repertoires of young people.
- Analyse the relationships between languaging and identities, heritage, belonging and investment.
- Collaborate with European decision-makers to develop inclusive language policy.
- Recommend language policy to support minoritised and endangered languages.
- Recommend policy innovation to support languaging and language learning of all people in Europe.
- Design and implement innovative research methods.
- Develop research skills, knowledge and capacity.
In this multi-site, team ethnographic research project we will observe the communicative practices of young people in contexts where speakers are concerned with language endangerment (Norway, Switzerland), where people are investing in revitalisation of languages (Spain: Galicia, Catalunya), and where the prevalence of migrant languages renders multilingualism the norm (Germany, Italy). By conducting ethnographic observation in Barcelona, Berlin, Lucerne, Oslo, Santiago de Compostela, and Turin we will gain a comprehensive knowledge of the everyday languaging practices of young people. With this evidence we will make recommendations for equitable language policy in Europe.
We will examine how young people use language in multiple locations, focusing on their communication in digital, creative and everyday contexts.
Case Studies
The research team will collect evidence of the communicative practices of young people in six European locations.
Multisemiotic Turin
In Turin we will analyse how the newer languages of Europe contribute to the strengthening of European linguistic and cultural heritage, and to a sense of community and belonging. Through linguistic ethnographic study we will provide evidence-based understandings of young people's linguistic, semiotic, and multimodal resources in daily encounters. The research team will work in collaboration with GenerazionePonte, an association that works to promote intercultural dialogue and exchange, with a focus on young refugees and new Italian citizens. We will involve research participants as full and equal collaborators by fostering open, transparent and interactive relationships throughout the implementation of the research activity.
Migration, Belonging and Cohesion in Multilingual Berlin.
We will collect information on the role multilingualism can play for societal cohesion and democratic participation in Europe. We will listen particularly to migrant languages that are excluded from the educational system, and to migrant voices that are often excluded from voting rights. We will examine their potential by focusing on communication practices in everyday life and institutions, both on- and offline. We will particularly focus on the role multilingualism plays for young people's belonging and, consequently, for overall societal cohesion and democratic participation. We will work in partnership with Yekmal, an autonomous migrant support organisation operating in several federal states of Germany.
Digital Linguistic Practices of Swiss Adolescents
In Switzerland we will focus on the multimodal, multilingual and digital linguistic practices of adolescents in social media, and at school and at home. We will investigate language policies, linguistic practices and the agentive role of young people in fostering multilingualism, in promoting Swiss German and in preserving endangered languages such as Romansh. We will collect evidence of young people's digital practices, and analyse implications for their sense of belonging and linguistic identity. We will ask how young people use multilingual and multimodal resources in digital and physical spaces, and to what extent young people act as agents in fostering multilingualism, learning languages, and preserving cultural and language heritage.
Language Revitalisation in Santiago de Compostela
This project examines spaces of language revitalisation in Santiago de Compostela. We will analyse the micro-dynamics of interconnected grassroots revitalisation efforts which revolve around the activities of urban-based new speakers' efforts to live their lives through Galician. We will look at the role played by teachers, parents, children and language activists in these initiatives in creating and sustaining new communities of practice, and examine the role of the Galician language revitalisation movement. We will undertake a multi-sited ethnography of spaces where language revitalisation efforts are played out and examine how the dynamics of these spaces can inform macro-level policies linked to the Galician government.
Sports, Youth and Languages in Catalonia
In Barcelona we focus on youth sports. Extracurricular activities (sports, arts, scouting and leisure groups, popular culture groups) have potential to generate contexts that facilitate the use of Catalan. However, segregation and economic barriers to access organised sports and leisure activities can decrease the participation of youngsters from migrant families. We will examine who takes part in sports; the difficulties and facilitators to take part, especially for teenagers from migrant backgrounds; what are the linguistic practices and ideologies of young athletes, trainers and club managers; what is the role of digital tools and social media in youth sports. We will work in close partnership with Omnium Cultural, a non-governmental organisation which promotes Catalan language and culture.
The Kven Language and Youth in Norway
During the last decade young people in Norway have shown a strong interest in reclaiming Kven language and culture. The Kven youth organisation, Kvääninuoret, uses digital arenas such as Instagram to teach and learn Kven language, share artistic work (visual art, poetry and snippets from theatre productions), explore different expressions of Kven identities and connect with other minority and Indigenous groups. We will investigate how the digital shift has provided an arena for youth to strengthen collective and individual identities, which in turn may bolster language learning. The data drawn on will be Instagram posts, and observations or self-reflection by participants when they create posts. We will work closely with Kvääninuoret from the outset of the project to ensure that the activities we undertake suit their needs.
MultiLX project
The MultiLX project will equip policy makers with evidence necessary to put in place equitable, inclusive language policy fit for the digital, multilingual age. An Advisory Board will bring together experts in language policy and governance. The Advisory Board will ensure that research outcomes are scaled up to European decision-makers, and guarantee a sustainable legacy of the project. MultiLX is led by Professor Angela Creese at University of Stirling, and is a collaboration between nine universities in eight countries: University of Stirling (Adrian Blackledge and Angela Creese); Universitetet i Oslo (Pia Lane); Fundació per a la Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Maite Puigdevall Serralvo and Joan Pujolar Cos); Albert-Ludwigs-Universitaet Freiburg (Katharina Brizic); Università degli Studi di Torino (Gerardo Mazzaferro); University of Glasgow (Bernadette O'Rourke); Jyväskylän yliopisto (Sari Pietikäinen); University of Limerick (Helen Kelly-Holmes); Pädagogische Hochschule Luzern (Edina Krompák).
Angela's undergraduate studies were in Drama and this background contributed to her early teaching career in Turkey and the US where she taught young adults mostly English for academic purposes in Foundation courses. Here she designed drama modules and activities. In the US she undertook a MSc and PhD at the University of Pennsylvania in Educational Linguistics where she took classes in sociolinguistics, intercultural studies, pragmatics, second language acquisition, language planning and policy and linguistics. She was supervised by Dr. Nancy Hornberger. Her doctoral thesis was on Partnership Teaching in London Secondary Schools. The focus was on British educational policy and its inclusion of migrant students into secondary school classrooms. She was particularly interested in the role of bilingual teachers in this regard.
Angela started her academic career working as a researcher in different externally funded research teams covering topics such as special educational needs, gender and learning, and teacher collaboration. This background served her well for proposing and participating in externally funded research grants. She has served as principal investigator and co-investigator on over 12 European and UKRI (AHRC and ESRC) grants. Angela is committed to participating, researching and contributing to team ethnographic research.
Angela has worked in the UK, US, Turkey and Lebanon. She is an internationally renowned scholar in sociolinguistics and ethnography and is invited to speak and teach regularly throughout the world.
Angela's scholarship is in the areas of linguistic ethnography, educational linguistics and sociolinguistics. She is an experienced researcher and is committed to reflecting on the processes, possibilities and challenges of co-producing knowledge in team research. She has published widely in journals and books about multilingualism and interaction in linguistically and socially diverse everyday encounters. She has led multiple large research grants attracting funding from Horizon Europe, AHRC and ESRC.
Angela is the recipient of several international awards and fellowships including the Helen C Bailey Award (Alumni) for 'Outstanding contribution to educational linguistics', from University of Pennsylvania and Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Advanced Research Collaborative, City University New York. Recently she was highly commended in the Times Higher Education Awards, 2024 for Outstanding Research Supervisor of the Year.