4th International Conference on Language and Education 6-8 November 2013 Müge Ayan Ceyhan

1. Co-creating spaces for multilingual practices in Turkey’s state-run, monolingual educational system 4th International Conference on Language and Education 6-8 November 2013 Müge Ayan Ceyhan İstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi Center for Sociology and Education Studies

2. Co-creating spaces for multilingual practices in Turkey’s state-run, monolingual educational system • What kind of a MTB-MLE? • combating discrimination • opening up spaces for the construction of a more just society • Focus of the talk: • enabling potentials of MTB-MLE from a sociological perspective • peaceful coexistence of different groups

3. Context: Turkey • Existence of all groups except Sunni, Muslim, Turks –denied. • 1920s: Foundation of of the Turkish Republic • monolingual • monoethnic • difference-blind • multilingual country with restrictive language policy • Article 42 of Constitution: prohibits the teaching of any language other than Turkish as mother tongue • Peace Treaty of Lausanne: Geerk-Othodoxes, Armenians, Jews—right to found their own schools

4. Potentials • Restricting potential: Potential for discrimination • Social groups see the visibility of differences as a threat • ‘national unity’ / ’social cohesion’ • Enabling potential: Potential for social justice • Recent interest in prejudices, stereotypes and discrimination • Confronting the past

5. How to actualise the enabling potential of anti-discriminatory, transformative MTB-MLE • MTB-MLE  opens up a space to combat discrimination • Given that it is carried out under certain circumstances!

6. Reversing negative representation of peoples • Recognising, acknowledging and compensating for asymetrical, unequal language relationships (Hornberger, 2003) • Lack of (or negative) representation of all peoples/groups except Sunni, Muslim, Turks • eg 1: Kürt Teali Cemiyeti listed under ‘Dangerous Communities’ • eg 2: Denial of Armenian genocide This negative representation needs to be reversed!

7. Breaking down prejudices and negative stereotypes Ethnographic data from LAS Research (2007-2011) 1500 of the pupils in school are Kurds. [...] There are not any normal Turkish citizens. Before it was only 5 or 6 out of 40 pupils who were Kurds. Now Kurdish speaking has become a babble. [...] The other day, finally I hit the desk with my fist and said: ‘My son, speak Turkish for once!’ (Ayan Ceyhan and Koçbaş, 2011)

8. Transforming dominant group’s perception • MTB-MLE does not only have the potential to restore and empower historically oppressed , minoritised, non-dominant groups but also: transforming the minds of dominant groups

9. Spaces in which pupils resist discriminatory practices Ethnographic data from LAS Research (2007-2011) Which language? (Ayan Ceyhan and Koçbaş, 2011)

10. Language hierarchy Narrative from ‘Scar of Tongue’, Diyarbakır Institute for Political and Social Research ‘My mother spoke French.’ (Coşkun, Derince and Uçarlar, 2010) • Children learns to be ashamed of their mother tongue. • Children learn language hierarchy. • Peoples living on the same soil do not know each other’s language.

11. MTB-MLE enabling potentials • Creates social contact familiarity with each other language and culture (Aboud and Levy, 2000) • Visibility of languages and cultures • Empower non-dominant groups • Transform minds of dominant groups

12. Thank you. muge.ayan@bilgi.edu.tr