The Local Linguistic Landscape Through Israeli Arab College Students’ Eyes: Observations, Critique, and Demands for Change

This book uses a sociolinguistic framework to explore how language serves as a marker of national identity in conflict zones, focusing on the dystopian representation of Arabic as a minority language in Israel through the perspectives of Israeli Palestinian students. Using a documentary photography research tool, PhotoVoice, minoritized college students from Northern Israel were invited to document and reflect on the signage in their area. Content analysis of students’ reflections revealed not only a problematic linguistic reality in which the presence of Arabic was limited and inaccurate, but also their experience of the space as local inhabitants. The book chapters shed light on their profound perceptions and aspirations as passers-by toward the (mis)representation of their native language in the country. The contribution of the book lies in demonstrating the potential of the innovative tool PhotoVoice in developing awareness of the explicit and implicit messages delivered through linguistic landscapes. It encourages action for achieving utopian, more inclusive linguistic realities where minority languages are appropriately represented.

Dr. Rawia Hayik is a senior lecturer in the English Department at Sakhnin Academic College for Teacher Education, Israel. She finished her PhD in the Literacy, Culture, and Language Education Department at Indiana University in the United States. Recently, she served as a visiting scholar in the Near Eastern Languages and Cultures department at UCLA, USA. Her research interests include critical pedagogies in the Palestinian-Israeli EFL classroom, multicultural children’s literature, the linguistic landscape, and professional identities of prospective English teachers.