36.2877, Confs: Identity Construction and English(es) from the Margins (France)

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-36-2877. Thu Sep 25 2025. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 36.2877, Confs: Identity Construction and English(es) from the Margins (France)

Moderator: Steven Moran (linguist at linguistlist.org)
Managing Editor: Valeriia Vyshnevetska
Team: Helen Aristar-Dry, Mara Baccaro, Daniel Swanson
Jobs: jobs at linguistlist.org | Conferences: callconf at linguistlist.org | Pubs: pubs at linguistlist.org

Homepage: http://linguistlist.org

Editor for this issue: Valeriia Vyshnevetska <valeriia at linguistlist.org>

================================================================


Date: 25-Sep-2025
From: Camille Ternisien [camille.ternisien at univ-lorraine.fr]
Subject: Identity Construction and English(es) from the Margins


Identity Construction and English(es) from the Margins

Date: 28-May-2026 - 29-May-2026
Location: Metz, France
Contact: Camille Ternisien
Contact Email: camille.ternisien at univ-lorraine.fr

Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics; Discourse Analysis; General
Linguistics; Sociolinguistics; Text/Corpus Linguistics
Subject Language(s): English (eng)

Submission Deadline: 18-Dec-2025

Please find below the call for papers for a conference entitled
Identity Construction and English(es) from the Margins that will be
organised at the Université de Lorraine (Metz campus) on 28-29 May
2026.
We are very pleased to announce that we will be welcoming the
following keynote speakers during the event:
 - Lucy Jones (University of Nottingham)
 - Erez Levon (University of Bern)
Deadline for abstract submission: Friday 18 December 2025
Abstracts are to be submitted via the conference sciencesconf page
(currently under construction, the link will be circulated in due
course).
For any queries, please feel free to contact
camille.ternisien at univ-lorraine.fr and/or adam.wilson at univ-lorraine.fr
Adam Wilson & Camille Ternisien (for the organising committee)
Call for Papers:
“[A]mong the many symbolic resources available for the cultural
production of identity, language is the most flexible and persuasive”
(Bucholtz & Hall 2004: 369). From employing certain phonetic features
to index alignment with a particular social group, to assembling
discourse in a personal narrative that signals allegiance to a given
community, via the use of specific words to set oneself apart from
others (among an infinite myriad of other examples), language sits at
the heart of the performance, (re)production, and contestation of our
social identities, both individual and collective.
In the current configuration of the global sociolinguistic climate,
English might be considered as having a special role in this cultural
production of identity, used as it is in an almost infinite diversity
of situations by an almost infinite diversity of speakers across the
planet. Whether is be as a first language, an additional language, a
component of monolingualism or multilingualism, a national language,
an official language, a global lingua franca in a seemingly endless
range of domains, English is a language that, for better or for worse,
finds itself deeply intertwined in dynamics relating to local,
national and global identities around the world today. It is both a
language of domination, a tool for imposing the identities of power,
and a language of resistance, a medium of expression for marginalised
voices.
It is this final point that this interdisciplinary conference aims to
explore: the specific role(s) of English(es) in the elaboration,
expression and preservation of social identities among individuals or
groups situated on what might be termed the “margins” or the
“peripheries”. Drawing upon the widely-used spatial metaphor that
“refers to the unequal distribution of power in economy, society and
polity, stressing the domination/dependency relations between
different regions of the world” (Vanolo 2010: 30), the objective of
this conference is to centralise the discourses and language practices
of marginalised populations. How do marginalised groups and
individuals make use of English(es) in establishing, sharing,
strengthening and protecting their individual and/or collective
identities? In what way do linguistic specificities within English(es)
contribute to the emergence of phenomena of sameness and/or difference
in these contexts? How is English used as a linguistic tool when it
comes to affirming marginalised identities and/or resisting those of a
dominating centre?
We take marginalisation to refer to, on one hand, the multiple
processes by which groups and/or individuals are excluded from
meaningful participation in social, economic, political and cultural
life and, on the other hand, symbolic processes in which certain
behaviour or practices come to be labelled as “marginal”, “perceived
by others as deviating from what is perceived to be the ‘norm’”
(Messiou 2012: 11), thus affecting behaviour towards individuals or
groups partaking in such behaviour or practices. In both cases,
marginalised individuals and groups find themselves doted with
inferior cultural capital compared with those that constitute the
“centre”, the practices and behaviours of this latter group coming to
form the norms and standards against which anything else will be
perceived as deviant, a potential object of marginalisation and/or
discrimination. As bell hooks (1984: i) observes, most of those on the
margin must align with these central norms/standards as well as
engaging in so-called “peripheral” practices that allow for cultural
identity production on the margins.
The objective of the Identity Construction and English(es) from the
Margins conference is to propose a focus on the English language as a
means of investigating these “peripheral” practices, the relationships
and tension between these practices and “central” norms and standards,
and the ways in which social actors navigate between centre and
margin, core and periphery, in processes of cultural identity
construction. Our approach to this objective is resolutely
intersectional. Indeed, much previous research has shown how language
is deeply intertwined with processes of marginalisation and identity
construction in relation to gender (see Jones 2016, Motschenbacher,
H., & Stegu, M. 2013),  sexuality (see Angouri & Baxter 2021), race
(e.g. Rosa 2019) and/or ethnicity (see Fishman & Garcia 2010),
disability (e.g. Galvin 2003, Grue 2015), neurodivergence (e.g.
Rebecchi 2025), social class (see Snell 2014), among many other
parameters. This conference aims to add to this body of work by
exploring the role(s) of English-language discourse(s) and/or specific
English language practices in these different processes, whether it be
in relation to one of the above parameters, other parameters, or the
ways in which different parameters intersect (e.g. Levon & Mendes
2016, Block & Corona 2016).
This intersectional approach is accompanied by an interdisciplinary
ambition. While the focus of the conference remains on English
language and discourse, thus appealing to (socio)linguists, discourse
analysts and those working in related fields, we hope to also bring
together researchers specialising in literature, gender/queer studies,
cultural studies, Black studies, sociology, anthropology, history,
information science, to name but a few fields. As such, we welcome
propositions dealing with a wide variety of media and/or types of
discourse and language practices. By way of example, these could
include audio and/or video recordings, ethnographic studies, extracts
from “traditional” media (film, TV, press, etc.) and/or “new” media
(social networks, forums, applications, etc.), different forms of
political discourse (speeches, pancarts, slogans, pamphlets, etc.),
various manifestations of artistic expression (poetry, music,
performance art, etc.), literature (either originally written in
English or translated), educational material, semiotic analyses of
non-textual media (colour, clothing, emojis, etc.) or corporal
movement (sign language(s), gesture, drag performances, dance, etc.),
etc. These lists of fields of study and of possible objects of study
are not to be perceived as exhaustive, but rather as a small sample of
the domains and media that we hope to explore during the conference.
Questions which we might hope to explore during the conference (as
well as those set out above) could include, but are in no way limited
to:
 - How do specific recurring patterns relate to expressions of
belonging to one or more communities? How might these patterns be
identified? “Patterns” may be taken to include linguistic markers,
phonetic features, discursive strategies, interactional or pragmatic
phenomena, etc.
 - How is the expression of identity realised as a political and
subversive enunciative choice? What is at stake for the visibility of
minorities?
 - How do linguistic and/or discursive constructions of identity vary
across time and space? What similarities or differences can be
observed across different communities, geographical areas,
generations, contexts, etc.?
 - How does English’s status as a global lingua franca play into
identity construction in/from the margins? How does it relate to other
languages in these contexts?
 - How is English implicated in the creation of labels and binaries?
Or in questioning these categorisations and/or reclaiming fluidity?
 - What are the roles of language and discourse when it comes to
individuals and/or communities navigating between peripheries and
centres?
 - From a linguistic and/or discursive perspective, how do
stereotypical representations of identities compare with their
performances by the individuals/groups concerned?
 - Can English be considered as having a special role when it comes to
identity construction? How? Why?
 - What is the role of English(es) in processes of marginalisation
and/or in fighting these processes? How does English come to be a
language of domination and/or of resistance?
Practical Details:
Proposals for papers, limited to 300 words, should be submitted in an
anonymous file and include:
 - the research context and/or a brief overview of the current state
of the art;
 - the methodology used;
 - the results, if applicable;
 - key bibliographical references (not included in the 300 words).
Please add a short bio-bibliographical note in a separate file.
The conference languages are English and French.
Proposals must be submitted on the Sciencesconf platform before
18/12/2025.
Indicative Bibliography:
Andrucki, M. J., & Dickinson, J. (2015). Rethinking centers and
margins in geography: Bodies, life course, and the performance of
transnational space. Annals of the Association of American
Geographers, 105(1), 203-218.
Austen, J. M. (2014). Questioning" questioning" as a sexual identity
and label: An interpretive phenomenological analysis. East Carolina
University.
Bamberg, M., De Fina, A., & Schiffrin, D. (2011). Discourse and
identity construction. In Handbook of identity theory and research
(pp. 177-199). New York, NY: Springer New York.
Baxter, J., & Angouri, J. (2021). The Routledge handbook of language,
gender, and sexuality. Londra: Routledge.
Blackledge, A., & Pavlenko, A. (2001). Negotiation of identities in
multilingual contexts. International journal of bilingualism, 5(3),
243-257.
Block, D., & Corona, V. (2016). Intersectionality in language and
identity research. In The Routledge handbook of language and identity
(pp. 507-522). Routledge.
Bucholtz, M., & Hall, K. (2004). Language and identity. A companion to
linguistic anthropology, 1, 369-394.
Cho, S., Crenshaw, K. W., & McCall, L. (2013). Toward a field of
intersectionality studies: Theory, applications, and praxis. Signs:
Journal of women in culture and society, 38(4), 785-810.
Colla, E. (2013). In praise of insult: Slogan genres, slogan
repertoires and innovation. Review of Middle East Studies, 47(1),
37-48.
Conlin, S. E., & Heesacker, M. (2018). The association between
feminist self-labeling and gender equality activism: Exploring the
effects of scale language and identity priming. Current Psychology,
37(1), 334-342.
Crenshaw, K.W. (2013). Demarginalizing the intersection of race and
sex: A black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine,
feminist theory and antiracist politics. In Feminist legal theories
(pp. 23-51). Routledge.
Crenshaw, K. W. (2013). Mapping the margins: Intersectionality,
identity politics, and violence against women of color. In The public
nature of private violence (pp. 93-118). Routledge.
Dougherty, C. (2017). Drag performance and femininity: Redefining drag
culture through identity performance of transgender women drag queens.
Eckert, P. (2014). The problem with binaries: Coding for gender and
sexuality. Language and Linguistics Compass, 8(11), 529-535.
Eisenberg, M., Gower, A., Brown, C., Wood, B., & Porta, C. (2017).
“They want to put a label on it:” patterns and interpretations of
sexual orientation and gender identity labels among adolescents.
Journal of Adolescent Health, 60(2), S27-S28.
Fishman, J. A., & García, O. (Eds.). (2010). Handbook of language &
ethnic identity (Vol. 1). Oxford University Press.
Galvin, R. (2003). The making of the disabled identity: A linguistic
analysis of marginalisation. Disability Studies Quarterly, 23(2).
Gaudio, R. P. (1994). Sounding gay: Pitch properties in the speech of
gay and straight men. American speech, 69(1), 30-57.
Geist, C., Reynolds, M. M., & Gaytán, M. S. (2017). Unfinished
business: Disentangling sex, gender, and sexuality in sociological
research on gender stratification. Sociology Compass, 11(4), e12470.
Greco, L. (2012). Production, circulation and deconstruction of gender
norms in LGBTQ speech practices. Discourse Studies, 14(5), 567-585.
Grue, J. (2016). Disability and discourse analysis. Routledge.
Harvey, K. (2002). Camp talk and citationality: a queer take on
‘authentic’and ‘represented’utterance. Journal of pragmatics, 34(9),
1145-1165.
Hooks, B. (2000). Feminist theory: From margin to center. Pluto press.
Hooks, B. . (1989). Choosing the margin as a space of radical
openness. Framework: The Journal of Cinema and Media, (36), 15-23.
Janz, L., & Conolly, J. (2019). Margins of the centre or critical
peripheries?. World Archaeology, 51(3), 347-354.
Jones, L. (2016). Language and gender identities. In The Routledge
handbook of language and identity (pp. 210-224). Routledge.
Kaminski, E., & Taylor, V. (2008). ‘We’re not just lip-synching up
here’: Music and Collective Identity in Drag Performances. Identity
work in social movements, 47-76.
Kerswill, P. (2013). Identity, ethnicity and place: the construction
of youth language in London. Space in language and linguistics:
Geographical, interactional, and cognitive perspectives, 24, 128-164.
Kiesling, S. F. (1997). From the'margins' to the'mainstream': gender
identity and fraternity men's discourse. Women and Language, 20(1),
13-18.
Kroon, S., & Swanenberg, J. (2018). Language and culture on the
margins: Global/local interactions (p. 242). Taylor & Francis.
Lanehart, S. L. (1996). The language of identity. Journal of English
Linguistics, 24(4), 322-331.
Leap, W. L. (2013). Commentary II: Queering language and normativity.
Discourse & Society, 24(5), 643-648.
Levon, E. (2015). Integrating intersectionality in language, gender,
and sexuality research. Language and Linguistics Compass, 9(7),
295-308.
Levon, E., & Mendes, R. B. (Eds.). (2016). Language, sexuality, and
power: Studies in intersectional sociolinguistics. Oxford University
Press.
Mangad, J. V., Gaston, R. H., & Ulla, M. B. (2024). Examining the
rhetorical landscape of political campaign slogans in the Philippines:
a rhetorical-semantic analysis. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 11(1),
2417510.
McConnell‐Ginet, S. (2003). “What's in a name?” Social labeling and
gender practices. The handbook of language and gender, 69-97.
Messiou, K. (2012). Collaborating with children in exploring
marginalisation: An approach to inclusive education. International
Journal of Inclusive Education, 16(12), 1311-1322.
Motschenbacher, H., & Stegu, M. (2013). Queer Linguistic approaches to
discourse. Discourse & Society, 24(5), 519-535.
Mowat, J. G. (2015). Towards a new conceptualisation of
marginalisation. European Educational Research Journal, 14(5),
454-476.
Nasrollahi Shahri, M. N. (2018). Constructing a voice in English as a
foreign language: Identity and engagement. Tesol Quarterly, 52(1),
85-109.
Norton, B., & Toohey, K. (2011). Identity, language learning, and
social change. Language teaching, 44(4), 412-446.
Ogbu, J. U. (1999). Beyond language: Ebonics, proper English, and
identity in a Black-American speech community. American Educational
Research Journal, 36(2), 147-184.
Olaniyan, T. (2017). African-American critical discourse and the
invention of cultural identities. African American Review, 50(4),
877-889.
Rebecchi, K. (2025). Exploring the pragmatics of autistic language:
Unique functions, neurobiological influences, power dynamics and
sociolinguistic challenges. International Review of Pragmatics, 17(1),
153-164.
Rosa, J. (2019). Looking like a language, sounding like a race:
Raciolinguistic ideologies and the learning of Latinidad. Oxford
University Press.
Seidlhofer, B. (2005). English as a lingua franca. Oxford.
Snell, J. (2014). Social class and language. Handbook of pragmatics,
18, 1-24. John Benjamins.
Vanolo, A. (2010). The border between core and periphery: Geographical
representations of the world system. Tijdschrift voor economische en
sociale geografie, 101(1), 26-36.
Wright, M. M. (2004). Becoming black: Creating identity in the African
diaspora. Duke University Press.
Zimman, L. (2017). Gender as stylistic bricolage: Transmasculine
voices and the relationship between fundamental frequency and/s.
Language in Society, 46(3), 339-370.



------------------------------------------------------------------------------

********************** LINGUIST List Support ***********************
Please consider donating to the Linguist List, a U.S. 501(c)(3) not for profit organization:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=87C2AXTVC4PP8

LINGUIST List is supported by the following publishers:

Bloomsbury Publishing http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/

Cambridge University Press http://www.cambridge.org/linguistics

Cascadilla Press http://www.cascadilla.com/

De Gruyter Brill https://www.degruyterbrill.com/?changeLang=en

Edinburgh University Press http://www.edinburghuniversitypress.com

John Benjamins http://www.benjamins.com/

Language Science Press http://langsci-press.org

MIT Press http://mitpress.mit.edu/

Multilingual Matters http://www.multilingual-matters.com/

Narr Francke Attempto Verlag GmbH + Co. KG http://www.narr.de/

Netherlands Graduate School of Linguistics / Landelijke (LOT) http://www.lotpublications.nl/

Peter Lang AG http://www.peterlang.com


----------------------------------------------------------
LINGUIST List: Vol-36-2877
----------------------------------------------------------