Elites, Language, and the Politics of Identity

Uses Norway to test the claim that elites are central to the politicization of linguistic conflict. Why and when do linguistic cleavages within a nation become politicized? Using Norway-where language has played a particularly salient role in the nation's history-as a case study, Gregg Bucken-Knapp explores these questions and challenges the notion that the politicization of language conflict is a response to language problems. He shows that political elites often view language conflict as a pol