Applying Bacchi’s WPR framework to analyse neoliberal multiculturalism in Ireland’s <i>Languages Connect</i> strategy

This article critically examines Languages Connect: Ireland’s Strategy for Foreign Languages in Education 2017–2026 through Bacchi’s ‘What’s the Problem Represented to Be?’ (WPR) approach, offering a seven-stage analysis of how language education is problematised at the national policy level. Using qualitative coding in NVivo and reflective thematic analysis, the study explores the ideological underpinnings of the policy and its implications for educational equity and inclusion. Findings reveal the dominance of neoliberal multiculturalism, which frames language acquisition primarily as a tool for economic competitiveness, while offering limited engagement with minority or heritage languages beyond Irish. The strategy promotes global languages for employability, positioning Irish as a cultural artefact rather than a plurilingual resource. It also overlooks the lived realities of migrant and minoritised communities, and fails to address systemic constraints such as teacher shortages and inadequate funding for lesser-taught languages. The article calls for a shift towards a more inclusive, decolonial, and pluriversal approach to language education, drawing on alternative policy imaginaries from international contexts. Recommendations include targeted investment in community-based programmes, more culturally responsive teacher training, and a critical rebalancing of economic and cultural objectives. This research contributes to critical policy studies by reimagining language policy as a site of epistemic justice and democratic renewal, aligned with broader debates in global education futures.