The role of affective experiences of language and religion in religious heritage language education

Abstract

This article examines the affective experiences of heritage language educators in religious institutions and of religious figures who influence the heritage language policies of their congregations. The goal is to explore the influence of affect on religious heritage language socialisation. The data presented here is taken from biographical interviews with Hebrew educators and a rabbi from two Reform Jewish synagogues and two pastors and a supplementary school teacher from a German-speaking Protestant congregation, conducted in Manchester in the UK. Using narrative analysis, this article shows how heritage language educators and religious figures connect narrative constructions of their affective experiences with language and religion to their educational practices, both linguistic and religious. In doing so, they actively consider and even prioritise the affective experience of learners and congregants. The main implications are that in groups self-defined by both heritage language and religion, heritage language socialisation is experienced as inseparably linked to personal religious socialisation, and that management of affect is viewed as a key component of managing language use and acquisition. These findings underscore that affective and biographical narratives are key to understanding the personal meanings that individuals connect to both heritage language and religion.

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