WP166 Multilingualism and good citizenship: The making of language celebrities in Chinese media

This paper examines the media representation of two otherwise ordinary Chinese citizens speaking multiple foreign languages.? It argues that the figure of good citizenship is being articulated via a valorization of? multilingual competence that is grounded both in the newly cherished moral values of neoliberal globalization ? self-reliance, reflexivity and flexibility ? and in the traditional moral values of patriotism and contribution to society.? The paper shows the importance of moving beyond a nationalist framework in our analysis of citizenship, while also always paying attention to the dynamic relations between social class, nationalism, and neoliberal globalization.