Linguistic Capital and Inequality in Aid Relations

Abstract

Globalisation processes and the spread of English as lingua franca are closely related. I consider language skills as symbolic capital and focus on the hegemony of English as lingua franca in international aid organisations. I argue that more attention must be paid to the role of language and linguistic capital when analysing global inequality and postcolonial power relations. Humanitarian and development organisations have so far received less sociological attention than other aspects of globalisation processes, whereas in the context of development studies, attention to language usually focuses on the ‘discourse of development’ rather than on the role of linguistic capital in multilingual settings. Aid work, which includes the transfer of skills and resources, simultaneously addresses and perpetuates global inequalities. Language structures power relations and inequality within aid organisations, in particular between national and international staff. My article is based on qualitative interviews with multilingual and monolingual aid workers from a wide variety of aid organisations. My article is innovative by demonstrating how linguistic capital intersects with other aspects of inequality in the global context of aid organisations. It makes an important contribution to the understanding of globalisation processes and to postcolonial sociology.