Edinburgh Napier University

  In this presentation, extending previous research, the authors argue that a particular view of language which sees it as a concrete abstract objectivist entity separable from any context for analysis and teaching underpins neoliberal approaches to supporting students in higher education. Universities worldwide have glossaries of terms such as ‘describe’ or ‘discuss’, and centralized units to help students understand what an ‘essay’ or ‘report’ is, and to ‘critically evaluate’. This approach is ideal for enabling neo-liberalism, giving it persuasive power, and underpinning arguments to create low-cost support, applicable to all subjects and students, deliverable by almost anyone. Here, drawing on theory and data, we present and discuss examples to show how language is instead an individual subjectivist entity, unique to context and subject, and requires support for students be undertaken by lecturers through dialogue in the subject context. Such support recognises the multidimensionality of language and the plurality of values that the different subjects have. We argue that current approaches to support should be changed to reflect this individual subjectivist nature of language, thereby resisting neoliberalism and giving lecturers greater freedom to educate and to improve student and lecturer relationships by providing a person focused support.