Vulnerability and multilingualism in intercultural research with migrants: developing an inclusive research practice

This Special Issue explores the interplay of vulnerability and multilingualism in research with migrant and displaced communities, with a focus on methodological (including ethical) complexities and the development of ‘best practice’. Increased mobility, migration and the recent conflicts in Europe and the Middle East have drawn attention to the vulnerabilities associated with migration, but how such vulnerabilities intersect with linguistic diversity is not so often attended to. As Blommaert et al. (Citation2005) have shown, migration and mobility can result in the devaluing of linguistic repertoires which had status in one location but are ascribed less or no value in the new context, giving rise to power asymmetries of various kinds including socioeconomic and epistemic inequalities associated with language. Such dynamics often lead to social injustices and vulnerabilities experienced by migrant and displaced communities, who for example may find themselves excluded from or marginalised by the mainstream education system. As researchers in intercultural communication, we need to be able to meet these linguistic, cultural and social demands, including openly and critically discussing the concepts of inclusive research, and negotiating vulnerability in research, in depth (Blommaert & Backus, Citation2013; Georgiou, Citation2022; Pinter, Citation2014; van Liempt & Bilger, Citation2012). Therefore, we consider the theme of negotiating vulnerability in research where multiple languages are involved to be of particular importance for our field and related fields.