Conclusions

Abstract

This book has explored in some detail how the attempts by Catalan universities to respond to the challenges of becoming more international in focus, while remaining very much locally grounded and nationally relevant, affect the languages of teaching and learning, particularly Catalan. Universities are a key site for exploring compelling issues of a sociolinguistic and applied linguistic nature because they are important state (i.e. national) institutions which are increasingly portrayed as internationally relevant players in a global educational market. Consequently, many universities are saturated with discourses which fluctuate between the nationalising and the globalising poles. The interplay between such discourses frequently lead to tensions, ambiguities, dilemmas, and aspirations, which can materialise in the articulation of specific language policy documents authored by university councils or other relevant authorities. In this chapter, we summarise the key findings around the stance-taking processes of the different stakeholders primarily involved in the higher education system of Catalonia.