A Foucauldian approach to language policy: The case of Canada

Abstract

This article examines recent developments in the field of policy studies in order to consider their applicability for the study of language policy and planning. In particular, Foucauldian insights into power and discourse offer the possibility of moving beyond the primarily descriptive nature of language policy studies and force a reconsideration of the premise upon which policy making is based: the starting point of the “problem” for which a policy solution is needed. By analyzing the proceedings of the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism (1963–1970) in order to trace the development of Canada’s Official Languages Act (1969), this paper reflects on the possibilities for developing a broader set of theoretical and methodological approaches to our work as scholars in the field of language policy.