Editorial: Giving Voice to Applied Linguistics from the Global South

Abstract

First paragraph: This Special Issue (SI) of System: An International Journal of Educational Technology and Applied Linguistics is dedicated to research from the Global South. This short introduction starts with some contextual explanation where we detail our idea of bringing together voices from the geographical areas that are under-represented in Applied Linguistics journals in general, and also – so far – in System. We discuss the social justice agenda so relevant to research in our days and highlight the research contribution made by researchers whose first language often is not English. We then describe the writing workshops, which were the starting point for this SI, highlighting the mentoring work that has taken place before the production of this SI. In ‘Overview of contributions’, we summarize the unique contributions included in this SI and indicate the impact that these contributions make to the way we understand global language issues. After framing the articles that form this unique collection and their individual merits, we acknowledge the professional development, craft and emotional labour that has fed into this SI, a step – as we hope – beyond the academic orthodoxy and hegemony of one language towards a truly global understanding of Applied Linguistics as multiple contesting voices. The introduction ends with our sincere thanks to all institutions and colleagues involved in the production of this SI.