Echoes of empire: a critical bibliometric analysis of language-in-education policy research in postcolonial contexts

Abstract

Language-in-education policy is a powerful space where linguistic hierarchies are negotiated, political power is (re)distributed, and cultural identities are affirmed or marginalized. In postcolonial contexts, the medium of instruction (MOI) operates not merely as a pedagogical tool but as a political instrument that often carries colonial legacies. While empirical studies have examined MOI and related language-in-education decisions, the field lacks a comprehensive, systematic mapping of its scholarly discourse, particularly from a critical postcolonial perspective. This study addresses this gap through a bibliometric analysis of 420 Scopus-indexed publications on language-in-education policy research in postcolonial settings. Data were analyzed using the Bibliometrix package for R (via Biblioshiny) and Bibliomajika, combining descriptive performance indicators with advanced co-word techniques: trend topic analysis, thematic mapping, and conceptual structure mapping. Findings show uneven growth patterns, Global North institutional and journal dominance, and thematic disparities favoring English-medium over indigenous language perspectives. The analysis also identifies under-theorized and emergent research areas, including community-led language planning and multilingual pedagogies in marginalized regions. By situating bibliometric findings within a decolonial framework, this study highlights epistemic inequities in the production of language-in-education knowledge and offers an agenda for more context-responsive scholarship.

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