Language education as resilience mechanism in disaster and postconflict contexts

Education system is a significant framework in advancing resilience within communities affected by disasters and prolonged conflicts. Beyond infrastructure reconstruction and policy reform, schools and language education programs function as critical spaces where preparedness, recovery, and social cohesion are cultivated. However, the role of language education, particularly the use of local languages and English, in shaping disaster-related learning and post-conflict recovery remains underexplored in global scholarship. This study addresses that gap by mapping research at the intersection of language education, disaster risk reduction (DRR), and post-conflict recovery. A comprehensive bibliometric review of 342 Scopus-indexed publications covering articles, conference proceedings, book chapters, and reviews was performed via Biblioshiny. The analysis mapped the field’s intellectual structure, thematic evolution, and emerging trends. To ensure the validity of the findings, a rigorous data-cleaning process, excluding noise indices and merging relevant synonyms, was utilized. The analysis reveals that scholarly interest in this topic has grown significantly since 2015, with a sharp acceleration after 2020. The field’s core research is built on DRR, preparedness, and resilience. A distinct educational pathway, focusing on curriculum, assessment, and risk communication, is also becoming more prominent. However, critical gaps remain as emerging areas such as multilingual disaster communication, trauma-informed and emotional literacy approaches, and the use of digital/AI tools for message design are still underexplored. Most notably, studies directly investigating the role of language education within these vulnerable communities are scarce. Language education is a vital social-cognitive resource underpinning healing, preparedness, and adaptation, rather than just a channel for information.