Tension-filled English at the Multilingual University: A Bakhtinian perspective, by Maria Kuteeva

Internationalisation in higher education offers valuable opportunities for collaboration and learning, but it also brings challenges.As part of the broader theme of linguistic and epistemic equity, the complexities of language use in internationalising academia have sparked widespread scholarly interest.In the book Tension-filled English at the Multilingual University: A Bakhtinian perspective, Maria Kuteeva provides a detailed examination of the tensions surrounding the use of English at multilingual universities.In synthesising the existing scholarship, she incorporates her own findings and research published in Kuteeva et al. (2020), which uncovered the dynamics of mono-and multilingualism in non-anglophone European universities.Here she looks more closely at language issues through a Bakhtinian lens to provide theoretical interpretations of the available evidence and offer deeper insights.Bakhtin's view of language as dialogic, multi-voiced, and permeated with social tension has influenced scholarship in many disciplines, but his ideas seem particularly relevant to the current context of internationalising universities.The analysis encompasses multiple levels of language use and includes language policies as well as disciplinary and individual practices ranging from being more constrained and norm-driven to more fluid.The arising tensions often drive individuals to deviate from established norms to convey identities, challenge dominant ideologies, or express themselves creatively.The breadth and depth of the work are both impressive: the author reviews a substantial body of research and offers a theory-based analysis of highly complex topics, using original research material to illustrate abstract ideas, while also highlighting inconclusive evidence and divergent viewpoints.