Introduction to "Language Learning in Higher Education" Volume 9 Issue 1

Introduction to the special edition of the journal "Language Learning and Higher Education" which is specifically about language learning for and with refugees. Large numbers of people are constantly forced to leave their homes due to conflict, persecutions, climate change and poverty, and as if that were not enough, they face barriers when seeking to enter European societies so as to start new lives here. In the mainstream media we are used to hearing about opposition to migration and hostility towards refugees and immigrants arriving in Europe. Yet, little is reported about solidarity at a grassroots level on the part of informal networks and collectives – or about people working with refugees within and across higher education institutions. This edition of Language Learning in Higher Education brings together a wide range of contributions which open our eyes to some examples of inclusive pedagogies, reflective practices and concrete actions that we, as language teachers, can engage with. The articles and reports present both top-down institutional projects, which have seen language centres play an important role in facilitating refugees’ access to higher education, and bottom-up initiatives arising from the actions of individual educators but then involving institutions.