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60 Years of Applied Linguistics
Toward more engaged research
e-Book – Open Access 
ISBN 9789027243966
For sixty years, applied linguistics has stood at the crossroads of language and society, by meeting real-world needs. 60 Years of Applied Linguistics: Toward more engaged research offers a compelling reflection on the field’s evolution while calling for a renewed commitment to socially responsive, ethically grounded scholarship. Inspired by the momentum of the 2023 AILA World Congress in France, this collective volume brings together leading international applied linguists to examine how applied linguistics has transformed in response to shifting political landscapes, technological change, and global challenges. From different perspectives, the contributors explore how research has both shaped—and been shaped by—the world we live in. Looking ahead, the book advocates for research that reaches beyond academic borders, engaging with communities, policymakers, and practitioners to confront contemporary issues. This book is an essential reference for scholars, students, and practitioners. It celebrates a rich intellectual legacy while charting bold new directions.
[AILA Applied Linguistics Series, 22] 2026. xvii, 204 pp.
Publishing status: Available
Published online on 9 March 2026
Published online on 9 March 2026
© John Benjamins
Available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.
For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.
Table of Contents
- Preface: Visible and invisible languages in Applied LinguisticsClaire Kramsch | pp. vii–xviii
- Introduction: Towards more engagement (even after) 60 years of Applied LinguisticsNathalie Blanc, Isabel Colón de Carvajal, Shona Whyte and Grégory Miras | pp. 1–15
- The place of bilingualism in Applied Linguistics research
- Chapter 1. Toward diversification of bilingual acquisition research: Insights from heritage bilingualismVirginia Yip | pp. 18–30
- Chapter 2. The importance of research-based outreach activities for supporting bilingual familiesAnnick De Houwer | pp. 31–42
- New roles and identities for Applied Linguistics researchers
- Chapter 3. An ethical-aesthetic account of giving an AILA keynoteAngela Creese | pp. 44–60
- Chapter 4. Language as a trace: The challenges of Applying Linguistics in the legal sphereEilika Fobbe | pp. 61–83
- Emerging discourses for social change
- Chapter 5. Arturo Escobar’s “Pluriversality” paradigm: Key issues for Applied Linguistics facing the organic crisis of the 21st centuryLuisa Fernanda Acosta Córdoba | pp. 86–96
- Chapter 6. Research in language education, implications of present-day changesJean-Paul Narcy-Combes | pp. 97–115
- Chapter 7. ‘Real people’s concerns’: Paradigm shifts in Applied Linguistics through AILAShona Whyte and Diane Larsen-Freeman | pp. 116–125
- Applied Linguistics: Current challenges and disputes
- Chapter 8. Applied Linguistics and the emergence of Foreign Language Didactics in France (1958–1984)Georges Daniel Véronique | pp. 128–148
- Chapter 9. The French Association of Applied Linguistics and it’s pre-history: Political issues in the early emergence of a disciplineAlice Burrows | pp. 149–167
- Chapter 10. Problems with problems and solutions in Applied Linguistics: Some considerations and propositionsAlexandre Duchêne | pp. 168–180
- Chapter 11. Diversity in Applied LinguisticsHenry Widdowson | pp. 181–188
- EpilogueAzirah Hashim | pp. 189–191
- Postface: Shining diamonds and invisible mines intertwined in the history of AILAKyria Finardi | pp. 192–199
- Authors index | p. 201
- Notions index | pp. 203–204