National security as a motivation in language-in-education policy

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Abstract

Foreign language education has often been associated with questions of preserving national security and, when this happens, the inclusion of security as part of the agenda for language education brings particular ideologies into the articulation of policies. One argument found commonly in language policy focused on security is the idea that ensuring security requires that a society as a whole has an understanding and knowledge of those nations or other groups which pose possible security threats and language education is seen as a way to develop such understanding and knowledge. However, what is meant by knowledge and understanding of another can be constructed in different ways. This paper will examine both general issues relating to language education policies relating to national security and also specific policy initiatives at particular historical moments during which security has been a key government concern. It will do this by examining two cases where language has been constructed as an issue for national security: Turkey, where Kurdish has been identified with terrorism, and the USA, where a lack of foreign language capability has been identified as a security problem.

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