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Facilitated by: Dr Sal Consoli who is one of the co-convenors of the Multilingual University Network, alongside Dr Dylan Williams, Dr Ibrar Bhatt and Dr Zhen Li. For more details about the network and its activities, please click here. 

Overview

In an era where academic institutions are increasingly interconnected and linguistically diverse, multilingualism in universities extends far beyond issues of translation or language proficiency. It shapes the very nature of knowledge production, access, and dissemination, influencing how research is conducted, communicated, and valued across different linguistic and cultural contexts. As English continues to dominate academic publishing and institutional discourse, researchers working in multilingual environments face distinct challenges—navigating linguistic hierarchies, maintaining the integrity of multilingual scholarship, and ensuring the equitable recognition of diverse knowledge traditions.

This seminar brings together two eminent scholars from diverse disciplinary backgrounds to critically examine the role of multilingualism in higher education and research. How do language policies shape academic opportunities and scholarly mobility? What challenges do multilingual researchers face when working across different linguistic systems and disciplinary expectations? How can institutions better support linguistic diversity in research and teaching while resisting the homogenizing pressures of global academia?

By addressing these urgent questions, this seminar seeks to highlight both the challenges and opportunities that multilingualism presents in contemporary universities. Through interdisciplinary dialogue, participants will explore ways to foster inclusive, linguistically plural academic environments and advocate for policies that recognize and support multilingual research practices.

Schedule

Speaker bios

Professor Rachel Brooks is a distinguished scholar in higher education at the University of Oxford's Department of Education and serves as President of the British Sociological Association. She chairs the executive editorial board of the British Journal of Sociology of Education, and is a member of the editorial team for the journal Sociology, and co-edits the 'Research into Higher Education' book series by Routledge and the Society for Research into Higher Education. Her research encompasses student politics, international student mobility, and equity in higher education. Currently, she leads an ESRC-funded project investigating the politicization of undergraduates across UK universities.  Before joining Oxford, Professor Brooks held leadership roles at the University of Surrey, including Head of Department and Associate Dean for Research. She also serves on the governing council of the Economic and Social Research Council and participated in the UK's REF2021 education sub-panel.

Professor Li Wei is the Director and Dean of the UCL Institute of Education (IOE), where he also serves as Chair of Applied Linguistics. His research focuses on bilingualism, multilingualism, language acquisition, and education. He has authored over 20 books and 130 scholarly articles, earning the British Association of Applied Linguistics Book Prize twice. He founded the International Symposium on Bilingualism in 1997 and serves as Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism and Applied Linguistics Review. Professor Li Wei is a Fellow of the British Academy, Academia Europaea, the Academy of Social Sciences, and the Royal Society of Arts.