IALIC Chair's Notes

摘要

The International Association for Languages and Intercultural Communication (IALIC) is an international community of scholars of languages and intercultural communication whose research is presented at the Association's annual conferences and publications through its journal Languages and Intercultural Communication (LAIC). The plural 'languages' in the Association's title is more significant than ever in 2015 as languages become sites of celebration and strength, but also of struggle and pain. The changes to education and society engendered by movements of people (whether for work, war, or economic deprivation), and the languages, cultures, religions, memories and histories they carry with them, remind us of the importance of valuing and understanding individuals, no matter which identity, which language, which location, and which religion! Policy decisions at regional, national, and supranational levels privilege certain languages over others, further threatening individuals' agency and rights as their languages are neglected or dismissed.