Abstract
Gulbahar H. Beckett and Gerard A. Postiglione’s book assesses the current state of China’s policy with regard to minority languages. It shows that while China may have had strong policies in writing that support the use of minority languages in education, over time, however, these policies and their practical implementation have changed from accommodating minority languages to encouraging integration. Currently, integrationist policies predominate, especially in the education system, where minority languages used for instruction are being edged out in favour of instruction in Chinese. Through a collection of 12 chapters written by 18 scholars, the book’s authors seek to expand previous discussions about language policy and practice by ‘providing historical perspectives, empirically based fieldwork, theoretical analysis and legal interpretation of selected aspects of this increasingly complex issue facing China’s development model’ (p. 4).
Chapters 1 and 2 provide background and historical review. Beckett and Postiglione give a good introduction to the book with an overview of what they describe as worrying trends in China’s language policies in the 21st century. ‘The national language, Hanyu, as the medium of instruction within a discourse of progress, opportunity, national unity, and harmonious society, continues to marginalize indigenous and minority languages’ (p. 3). In Chapter 2, Minglang Zhou, who has written extensively on language policies in China, gives a review of the People’s Republic of China’s language policies and practices, explaining the shift from the Soviet model to the Chinese model in language policies. Zhou states that minority languages play a much less prominent role in the Chinese model, even within bilingual education programmes where the aim is to shift the use of language by minority students from their native languages to the national language, rather than allowing both to be fostered within the education system.
Chapters 3 through 9 deal with studies based on empirical research. This is perhaps the most interesting section of the book, as the case studies discussed clearly show how policies have been implemented and how they are affecting the indigenous peoples. Chapters 3, 4 and 6 give reports on bilingual education practices among minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and in Yunnan, as well as among the Dongxiang in Gansu Province. These three chapters show that while different models of bilingual education are used in different places, the goals never seem to be the attainment of true bilingualism and biliteracy among students. With the exception of cases in Xinjiang, where the minority language is emphasized to the detriment of the national language, each model seems to aim at encouraging children to master Chinese as early as possible and thus leave the minority language behind. Linda Tsung points out that a major goal of the Chinese education system is to spread the national language to create national unity. This goal naturally clashes with policies supporting local languages. All the programmes share major issues in common: unclear policies, lack of qualified teaching staff, and inappropriate textbooks and teaching materials.
Chapters 10 to 12 discuss theoretical, ideological and legal issues in connection with the teaching of English among minorities, sustainability of language policies, and human rights law in relation to the education of minorities. In Chapter 10, Guangwei Hu shows that English as a medium of instruction for most students belonging to the ethnic majority in China has failed so it seems a probable waste of resources to try and implement the same approach for ethnic minority students. There is a clear need to explore alternative approaches to trilingual education for minorities in China, including learning from successful programmes that advocate learning the mother tongue first and well. Kelly Loper, in Chapter 12, discusses the relevance of human rights law and substantive equality with regard to minority language rights and education in China. In responding to reports on what the country is already doing in the area of human rights, several international rights organizations have made recommendations as to how China can continue to improve, including an intensification of efforts to ensure the implementation of bilingual education at all levels.
Beckett and Postiglione’s book is a solid introduction to the changing language policy landscape in China and how these changes affect stability, especially in regard to education and social harmony among the minority population. The book leaves the reader with a clear conclusion that the Chinese government’s language policies work out differently in practice for different minorities and that education for minorities is a major key to achieving and maintaining social harmony. The book advocates the need for a more responsible and balanced policy towards the use of language in education – one that does not change according to the political mood of the country. It is highly recommended to everyone interested in language and language education policies in China and to those interested in minority issues in China.