The engineering of plurilingualism following a blueprint for multilingualism: The case of Vanuatu’s education language policy

This article examines recent proposals in Vanuatu for a new, plurilingual education system. The article discusses these proposals with reference to three principles of plurilingualism upon which the proposals are ostensibly based: the need to value the linguistic repertoires with which children start school, the development of further linguistic resources to enhance individual potential, and the holistic integration of these resources within linguistic repertoires. The author argues that the proposals are driven not by concerns for the fostering of individual plurilingualism, but rather by an agenda of an imagined societal multilingualism within which certain languages are prioritised over all others. The result is an attempt to engineer plurilingual competence by following a blueprint for multilingualism, thus working against the needs of individuals. The article proposes a more flexible model of plurilingualism, within which teachers and learners have the freedom to negotiate meaning through whichever linguistic resources are available to them, rather than stipulating which languages should be used at any given time

Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Pacific Islands: Why Europe should listen in

Pacific Island countries (PICs) are developing countries representing one of the culturally richest and most diverse regions worldwide. A decade ago, the realization evolved at international level that intangible cultural heritage (ICH) represents a development tool with an inherent commercial value. Regional initiatives are currently trying to balance objectives of development and protection of ICH with the need for commercial exploitation and effects of commodification. Yet, the same cannot be said about the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between PICs and the EU. The article advocates that current EU efforts in supporting regional and national processes meant to establish a preliminary level of legal protection for Pacific ICH are insufficient and inappropriate to the ‘living’ character of ICH. It promotes a more context-oriented design of intellectual property rights (IPR) provisions in EU policy instruments aimed at sustainable development of the Pacific region