New Books in Sociology Erased Voices and Unspoken Heritage
Aug 19, 2025
Dr. Zozan Balci, an award-winning sociolinguist and social justice advocate, shares insights from her book, exploring the complex experiences of individuals navigating multicultural identities with three languages in play. The conversation highlights the emotional impact of suppressing heritage languages and the journey towards embracing one’s cultural identity. Balci emphasizes the power of personal stories in reconnecting with heritage and the importance of respectful name pronunciation in fostering confidence and cultural competence.
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Mixed Heritage Shaped The Study
- Zozan Balci grew up in Germany speaking German, Italian and Turkish and felt lifelong identity tensions from mixed heritage.
- She studied four adults with at least three languages and visible minority status to explore similar lived experiences.
Hybridity Feels Like One Blended Self
- Hybridity feels like a single mixed identity rather than three separate nationalities or languages.
- People internally experience languages, behaviors and memories as a blended "cocktail," not discrete compartments.
Language Is Signal And Emotional Habit
- Language choice is both a tool for connection and a symbolic marker of group status and power.
- Negative social reactions produce embodied shame and habitual self-censorship of heritage languages.
