The 38th public lecture, “Considering Sustainable Immigration Policies: A Case Study of Foreigner Integration Policies and Language Services in Swiss Local Governments,” was held on Tuesday, November 15, 2022. Professor KAKIHARA Takeshi from Kwansei Gakuin University’s Faculty of Commerce and Graduate School of Language, Communication, and Culture served as the lecturer for the event, part of the “Central Eurasia and Japan’s Future” series.
Dr. Kakihara specializes in sociolinguistics and language policy in Spanish-speaking countries. Currently, he conducts research at the Institute of Galician Studies at the University of Santiago, Spain, focusing on Galician language policy and the preservation of language and culture among Galician diaspora communities worldwide. In his lecture, Dr. Kakihara discussed immigrant reception policies and language education in Switzerland, which hosts many Galician immigrants. He provided specific examples from the French-speaking canton of Vaud, the city of Lausanne, and the French-German speaking city of Biel/Bienne.
Switzerland employs a strict territorial-based official language policy while ensuring individual language freedom. The country mandates immigrants to integrate into the official language of their region. However, initial information for immigrants is sometimes provided in multiple languages, acknowledging their economically and socially vulnerable positions. Dr. Kakihara highlighted Switzerland’s unique approach to language education for children and adults, focusing on equipping immigrants with basic skills to access society and the job market rather than merely assimilating them into mainstream culture.
Following the lecture, attendees posed numerous questions about Swiss educational practices for immigrant children and the professional training of educators in this field. Switzerland’s meritocratic approach to immigrant integration, as discussed in the lecture, provides valuable insights for future immigration policy discussions in Japanese society.
