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Researching in Multilingual Spaces: Addressing Methodological, Ethical, and Epistemological Implications

Author

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  • Clara Holzinger

    (Department of Sociology, University of Vienna, Austria / Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria)

Abstract

This editorial proposes reflecting upon multilingual social research in spatial terms to better grasp the manifold challenges described by the contributing authors when examining their own methodological approaches and research practices regarding multilingualism(s). Conceptualizing the research process as embedded in multilingual spaces brings power relations and their impact on the produced knowledge to the fore. These power relations and their implications appear as cross‐cutting themes in all contributions to this thematic issue, which are otherwise multifaceted and diverse. The contributions provide insights into concrete research settings, and thus into specific multilingual spaces and their associated language regimes and practices that are embedded in and shaped by larger structural conditions. They look at how different actors meet in the multilingual research spaces; how their interactions are shaped by individual dispositions, organizational, financial, and personnel resources, concrete institutional practices, regulations and customs, larger structural conditions, and language ideologies. By highlighting that research challenges in multilingual spaces transcend issues of translation and translatability as well as underscoring the need for reflexivity, the contributions vividly illustrate the potential that consciously engaging with multilingualism holds for social research.

Suggested Citation

  • Clara Holzinger, 2026. "Researching in Multilingual Spaces: Addressing Methodological, Ethical, and Epistemological Implications," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 14.
    • Handle: RePEc:cog:socinc:v14:y:2026:a:11911
    DOI: 10.17645/si.11911
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Erin Gail MacDonald & Mirona Moraru & Arthur Bakker & Elma Blom, 2026. "Translanguaging Towards Equitable Participation: Doing Research Multilingually With People With a Migration Background," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 14.
    2. Marie Rickert & Pomme van de Weerd & Daan Hovens & Leonie Cornips, 2026. "The Construction of Researcher Positionality Through Language Practices in Multilingual Contexts," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 14.
    3. Chantal Radley & Margaret Greenfields & Eleonore Kofman & Gill Searl, 2026. "From Babel to Bridge: The Challenges of Research Co‐Production in Multilingual Spaces," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 14.
    4. Jinsil Jang, 2026. "Methodological Insights From a Qualitative Case Study in a Migration Context: Translingual Writing Practices Among Emergent Multilingual Children," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 14.
    5. Ana Mijić & Yelyzaveta Zolotarova & Olena Tkalich & Michael Parzer, 2026. "Of Stumbling Blocks and Stepping Stones: Navigating Multilingual Challenges in Reconstructive Forced Migration Research," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 14.
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