At the same time it is one of the most difficult issues to deal with on the basis of established theories and methods, particularly in the social sciences. Diversity exposes their boundaries and limitations, the same way it exposes our social and political organizations. Sociolinguistics, pragmatics, anthropological linguistics, text linguistics have all contributed towards less essentialist and hegemonic perspectives on language. These studies have shown how ideologies and policies of language can influence language behaviour, as part of controlling and containing social diversity. At the same time, it is often recognized that we are merely scratching the surface of a matter which seems to become ever more complex and multifaceted under the influence of globalization, sociocultural change and political evolutions such as the renewed importance of nationalism, ethnicity and identity politics.
Encounters explores diversity in language, diversity through language and diversity about language.
Diversity in language covers topics such as intercultural, gender, class or age-based variations in language and linguistic behaviour. Diversity through language refers to the way in which language and linguistic behaviour can contribute to the construction or negotiation of such sociocultural and political differences. In all this, mixedness, creolization, cross-over phenomena, and heterogeneity are privileged areas of study. He studied at the universities of Ghent, Antwerp and Amsterdam. His research interests include East African literature and languages, African anthropology, institutional discourse and migration studies.