This book provides a critical examination of the English-only policy of ASEAN, the Association of the ten Southeast Asian nations. It presents the ASEAN language policy and planning (LPP) journey through time: rationalising English as the sole working language for ASEAN in the past, followed by a critique of the status quo considering regional complexities and dynamics, and finally exploring alternative linguistic futures for ASEAN and the Southeast Asian region. The book also offers methodological innovations in LPP research by utilising the largely underrepresented and undervalued agency of 'people with expertise'.
The authors argue for a multilingual commitment towards pursuing an agency of 'projectivity' in co-constructing imagined LPP possibilities to reflect the region's socio-historical context, socio-political intricacies, and socio-linguistic diversity. The way forward is a more inclusive, equitable, balanced, and responsible approach to LPP, both regionally and globally.
The book engages with both deconstructive and constructive paradigms, offering promising proposals for dealing with key language issues and contemporary challenges. This book will be interesting reading for language and education scholars, sociolinguists, historians, political scientists, policymakers, diplomats, language activists, media personnel, business leaders, tourism players and other language policy and planning actors operating at national, sub-national and supra-national levels.
Table of Contents:
Language Policy Context of ASEAN.- Theories and principles of supranational language policy and planning.- Researching language policy of ASEAN.- The past: Rationalising English Only in ASEAN.- The present: English only ideologies and their regional implications.- The future: Imagining alternative linguistic possibilities.- Conclusion.
About the Author :
Huan Yik Lee, PhD is currently a Senior Lecturer at the Language Academy, University of Technology Malaysia. He is also an honorary fellow at the School of Education, University of Queensland, Australia. His research interests include language policy and planning, language policies in education, language ideology, language politics, sociology of language, and multilingualism. He has published in highly reputable journals, such as the International Journal of Multilingualism, Current Issues in Language Planning, Language Problems and Language Planning, as well as World Englishes.
Dr M. Obaidul Hamid is Associate Professor of TESOL Education at the University of Queensland, Australia. He has published extensively on topics including the policy and practice of TESOL education, English as a medium of instruction (EMI) in Asia, and the role of English in individual mobility and social development. He is a co-editor of Current Issues in Language Planning.
Dr Ian Hardy, PhD is an Associate Professor at the School of Education, University of Queensland, Australia. He has published extensively in the areas of educational policy and politics. He is also increasingly involved in policy studies relating to international and comparative education.
Review :
"The volume not only regionally significant but also globally relevant, offering incisive and durable insights into the politics of language at the supranational level. It speaks to a wide and diverse readership, including language and education scholars ... . Structurally, the volume unfolds across seven interconnected chapters, moving from contextualisation to critique and ultimately to prospective alternatives. ... This volume constitutes a timely and provocative intervention in supranational LPP ... ." (Yanru Xin, Language Policy, Vol. 25 (1), 2026)
