Constanze Ackermann-Boström

Short presentation

I am senior lecturer in education with a focus on multilingualism. My main research are multilingualism, minoritised languages, language ideologies and identity.

Keywords

• sustainability
• multilingual families
• multilingualism
• sociolinguistics
• decoloniality
• language revitalisation
• meänkieli
• minority languages
• identity construction
• language ideology
• heritage language
• applied linguistics
• language education
• multilingual practices (e.g. code-switching)
• indigenous languages
• linguistic ethnography

Biography

My research interests are multilingualism, minoritised languages and identity. As a sociolinguist, I am interested in exploring language ideologies, (multi)lingual practice and identity construction(s) in minoritised communities, especially among children and youth.

I received my PhD in German Studies at the Uppsala University in 2018. In my PhD dissertation "Gelebte Mehrsprachigkeit im Plattenbau: Untersuchungen von Narrativen und Praktiken russlanddeutscher junger Erwachsener" I study multilingual practices and identity constructions of a group Russian-German young adult through linguistic ethnography. The dissertation has been awarded the Westin Prize by The Royal Society in the Humanities in Uppsala.

Research

My current research focuses on Meänkieli and its revitalization. I am particularly interested in the language use of young Tornedalen, Kväner and Lantalaiset and their attitudes towards (different) languages. In a current project, I am investigating the role of the family in the linguistic revitalization of Meänkieli. In a larger perspective, the role of Meänkieli in language and cultural revitalization from a cultural heritage perspective is interesting. Together with Riitta-Liisa Valijärvi (Uppsala University & UCL) and Pär Poromaa Isling (Umeå University), I have studied, among other things, the role of music in the revitalization of Meänkieli.

Another research interest is linguistics, language education and sustainability. I am currently involved in a interdisciplinary research project "Language learning and linguistic repertoires in offline and online tourist spaces of the Nordics" together with Susanne Mohr (NTNU). During 2022-2023 I organised a Nordic workshop series on "Linguistics and Sustainability" (funded by NOS-HS) together with Haley De Korne (Universitet i Oslo), Eeva Sippola (Helsingin yliopisto) and Carsten Levisen (Roskilde universitet) .