Abstract:
This chapter discusses how the principle of linguistic homogeneity, articulated by Herder and his German Romantic colleagues, has subsequently become a defining characteristic of modern nation-state organization. The chapter explores the consequences of linguistic homogeneity and a related preoccupation with public monolingualism for linguistic minority groups, resulting, more often than not, in their linguistic—as well as wider social and political—marginalization. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the potentialities of two recent explanatory frameworks—superdiversity and complex diversity—as a basis for rethinking nation-states in more linguistically plural and inclusive ways.
