Podcast Summary:

Radio ReOrient 13.7: “Linguistics, Citizenship and Belonging,” with Kamran Khan
Hosts: Claudia Radiven, Chella Ward, Saeed Khan
Guest: Kamran Khan
Date: November 28, 2025

Overview

This episode explores the intersections of language, citizenship, and belonging, particularly in the context of the UK but with global parallels. Kamran Khan, Associate Professor at the University of Birmingham and director of the Mosaic Research Group on Multilingualism, joins Radio ReOrient hosts to unpack how language operates as a barometer of citizenship, a tool of governance, and even a mechanism of exclusion or resistance. The conversation ranges from the historical roots of British nationality law, multiculturalism, counter-terror policies like PREVENT, and the racial codification of "British values," to broader global issues in France, Spain, and the US.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Language and Citizenship: From Multiculturalism to Assimilation

• Shift in Policy: Khan traces the history from the British Nationality Act 1981, which marked a shift from Commonwealth-based citizenship toward a more exclusionary, national model dependent on immigration status.
  • “English has played a role in really shaping who belongs and who doesn’t belong.” (Kamran Khan, 05:09)
• Language as a Gatekeeper: The emergence of standardized language testing in the 21st century hardens boundaries of who is perceived as able to belong.
• Racial-Linguistic Hierarchies: Even among English speakers, hierarchies of class, accent, and racialization affect experiences of legitimacy and "nativeness."

Notable Quote:
“Any language is a political project of deciding who belongs and who doesn’t. And in the case of English, it’s really, really clear.”
— Kamran Khan (05:45)

2. Language, Family, and the Colonial Legacy

• Legal and Cultural Shifts: Discussion around the Immigration Act and the notion of "patriarchal" citizenship—citizenship by heritage—reveals ongoing exclusion tied to race and colonial history.
• Philological Metaphors: Claudia draws parallels between legal definitions of citizenship and linguistic concepts of “family trees,” both structuring inclusion/exclusion.

Notable Quote:
"Britishness becomes a family structure... the idea that you can shift into or out of nationality becomes harder."
— Claudia Radovan (08:11)

3. Racialization & Misidentification through Language

• Everyday Racism: Stories illustrate the misidentification of minorities based on the language(s) they speak, e.g., Welsh speakers mistaken for foreigners.
• Global Examples: Similar issues manifest in Spain (Spanish vs. minority languages; immigrant integration) and the US (Spanish as a marker of suspicion).

4. Counter-Terror Policy, PREVENT, and Language Policing

• Prevent and “British Values”: The podcast delves into the UK PREVENT strategy, which formalizes suspicion and surveillance around English proficiency and a narrowly defined “Britishness,” often racialized as whiteness.
• Community Cohesion Reports: The Cantle Report’s legacy links language proficiency with social tensions, disproportionately targeting minorities who are often already UK-born.

Notable Quote:
"There was a point where David Cameron was promising investment for English language teaching for Muslim mothers... to stop their children from going [to ISIS]."
— Kamran Khan (14:42)

5. The Detachment of Language from Meaning

• France & Islamophobia: Anecdote about a Muslim woman arrested for saying “Assalamu alaikum” in Paris, highlighting suspicion attached to Arab/Islamic greetings.
• Philosophical Perspective: Reference to Derrida’s concept of the “shibboleth”—how small linguistic differences become bases for exclusion, often arbitrarily and with deep consequences.

Notable Quote:
“Language lives in the ear of the other, and exactly what you’re saying that, you know, you just can’t control… The stakes in these cases... are so high and so securitized.”
— Kamran Khan (18:53)

6. Colonial Racial Governance & Modern Precarity

• Continuity Over Time: The hosts challenge the idea that contemporary policies are new, showing connections to colonial racial governance.
• Conditional Citizenship: The Nationalities and Borders Bill (Clause 9), which allows the deprivation of citizenship without notice, places over 6 million in precarity—particularly non-white Britons.

Notable Quote:
“Do non-white citizens, are they ever able to attain Britishness? Are they ever allowed to become full citizens?”
— Saeed Khan (20:56)

7. Resistance, Ambiguity, and Linguistic Justice

• Literature as Lens: Claudia invokes the Greek tragedy “Agamemnon” as a metaphor for how speaking in unfamiliar ways (or languages) is cast as subversive—even truthful testimony is dismissed if it “sounds wrong.”
• Spaces for Resistance: Khan and the hosts suggest that marginalized languages/discourses can be spaces for resistance as well as exclusion.
  • The same language (Spanish in the US) can be both a marker of exclusion and a tool for solidarity/protection.

Notable Quote:
“Any justice in the end has some element of, like, linguistic justice as well.”
— Kamran Khan (32:04)

8. Looking Forward: Khan’s Upcoming Research

• Language and Security: Khan is working on a new project/book on language, security, and governance, including the role of linguists in intelligence and the broader entanglements between language and state power.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|----------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 05:09 | Kamran Khan | “English has played a role in really shaping who belongs and who doesn’t belong.” | | 08:11 | Claudia Radovan| "Britishness becomes a family structure... the idea that you can shift into or out of nationality becomes harder." | | 14:42 | Kamran Khan | "There was a point where David Cameron was promising investment for English language teaching for Muslim mothers... to stop their children from going [to ISIS]." | | 18:53 | Kamran Khan | “Language lives in the ear of the other... the stakes are so high and so securitized.” | | 20:56 | Saeed Khan | “Do non-white citizens… are they ever able to attain Britishness? Are they ever allowed to become full citizens?” | | 32:04 | Kamran Khan | “Any justice in the end has some element of, like, linguistic justice as well.” |

Important Segment Timestamps

• [05:09–08:11]: Language policy transitions, British Nationality Act, and family as a metaphor for national belonging.
• [10:45–12:50]: Racial-linguistic profiling, Spanish as a “legitimate” language, and integration requirements.
• [14:42–17:37]: Prevent Policy, post-9/11 security landscape, language as both pretext and predictor.
• [17:37–20:56]: France and the criminalization of Muslim greetings, Derrida’s shibboleth.
• [20:56–24:03]: Colonial governance, clause 9, and structural precarity for minorities.
• [27:09–30:35]: Literature, resistance narratives, Greek classics as metaphors for linguistic exclusion.
• [33:17–34:11]: Teaser of Khan’s next book: Language, Security, Governance.
• [36:34–44:34]: Hosts’ reflection—flags, meaning, and policing language in global and local contexts.

Tone & Takeaways

The conversation is probing, rigorous, and occasionally personal—drawing on scholarship, policy analysis, and lived experience. The tone is both analytical and empathetic, conveying both a sense of urgency (given the current global political climate) and hope for resistance and justice.

Key Takeaways:

• Citizenship is no longer merely legal but is increasingly policed through language, accent, and performance of “belonging.”
• Policies framed as neutral (like language testing or British values) are deeply racialized and rooted in colonial methods of governance.
• Counter-terrorism and citizenship are now legally and culturally inseparable, often to the detriment of non-white and minority citizens.
• Language can be both a tool of domination and a medium of resistance; linguistic justice is fundamental to broader struggles for social justice.
• The battle over who defines the meaning and legitimacy of language is fundamentally about power and access to full belonging.

Further Reading/Listening

• Kamran Khan, Becoming a Citizen
• Jacques Derrida, Monolingualism of the Other
• Reports on PREVENT and the Cantle Report on community cohesion

This episode provides a rich exploration of how language shapes and is shaped by the politics of citizenship, exclusion, and the ongoing search for belonging and justice.