Marjorie Boulton Fellowships Awarded
17 July 2023
The Esperantic Studies Foundation (ESF) has awarded this year’s Marjorie Boulton Fellowship to Dr. Cecilia Gialdini, a postdoctoral researcher at Ulster University whose research focuses on the measurement of linguistic justice.
In the course of doctoral studies at Ulster University, Dr. Gialdini identified a critical gap in the existing literature regarding concrete tools and indicators to evaluate the fairness of language policies. Their PhD thesis, "A Multidimensional Linguistic Justice Index: Measuring Language Policies through the Capability Approach,” served as a foundation for the Boulton application. Building upon previous contributions to evaluating linguistic justice, it addresses theoretical and methodological questions in the design of such an index. Among other objectives, the Fellowship will support the work of turning Gialdini's PhD thesis into a book with an international publisher.
Born and raised in Tuscany but adopted by Belfast, Dr Gialdini holds a BA in Politics and International Relations, an MSc in International Studies, and a PhD in Social Policy focusing on Linguistic Justice. Their passion for language studies emerged during their Master's degree. While on an Erasmus exchange at the University of Haifa, they conducted fieldwork for their final dissertation, focusing on the relationship between linguistic diversity and identity conflict in the State of Israel. Specifically, they examined educational policies for the Palestinian citizens of Israel. Dr Gialdini is committed to bringing linguistic justice to the forefront of discussions, not only within human rights but also in relation to political stability and peacebuilding.
The Boulton Fellowships support research in all fields of the humanities and social sciences, particularly as they relate to interlinguistics, linguistic justice, intercultural communication, Esperanto, and related phenomena. They were created in honor of the legacy of the late Marjorie Boulton, a prolific author of plays, poems, and prose in Esperanto, as well as the leading biographer in English of L. L. Zamenhof. Previous Fellowship recipients include postdoctoral researchers Edwin Micheilsen (now at the University of Hong Kong) and Guilherme Fians (currently a Leverhulme Research Fellow at the University of St. Andrews), and doctoral candidate Magdalena Madany-Saa, who recently defended her PhD at Pennsylvania State University.
Statement of purpose
ESF works to further the understanding and practice of linguistic justice in a multicultural world.
We aim to develop and support excellence in scholarship, education, and interlingual communication.
Our priorities and values are shaped through engagement with the worldwide community of Esperanto speakers, as well as with researchers, educators and activists in many language-related fields.
Visit the ESF Connected Blog
The esfconnected.org blog presents the work, services, accomplishments, etc., of ESF, as a public face for the foundation to the rest of the educated world. Articles will be written by the board, recipients of grants, members of the advisory board, symposium organizers, and special guests. Please subscribe, read the posts and comment!
Just posted: Read about "Edwin Michelsen's Research in China, Japan and Korea," which is a project ESF supported by a Marjorie Boulton Fellowship grant.
Esperanto history and its place in society
Read about the Esperanto history and its place in current society, by Asya Pereltsvaig
Support ESF!
By supporting the Esperantic Studies Foundation, you will be supporting efforts to promote language equality in the world and equitable, high-quality communication across cultures and language groups. Click here to make a donation.
- Students at Poznan Interlinguistics Program (photo: Ilona Koutny)
- NASK 2005 (photo: Phil Dorcas)
- NASK: North American Summer Esperanto Institute (photo: Phil Dorcas)
- NASK: North American Summer Esperanto Institute (photo: Steve Brewer)
- Students at Macaulay / CUNY Program, 2015
- Students at Macaulay / CUNY Program, 2015
- Students at Macaulay / CUNY Program, 2015
- Esther Schor (Macaulay / CUNY Program, 2015)
- Lernu.net: the largest multilingual Esperanto learning website and community
- Edukado.net: the largest website for Esperanto teachers
- UN Symposium, New York, 2018
Have you ever wondered why left-wing activists in France learn a language called Esperanto to discuss politics across national borders, or why young people are linking linguistic justice with activism for open-source software?
If your answer is yes - this book is for you!
If you answer is no - well, the time has come.
What’s new?
Testimonials
I don't hesitate to support ESF, because for me, this foundation is the most important and effective for spreading Esperanto and getting people to accept it. You only need to take a look at the various activities that ESF supports, to understand that the money donated to this foundation is well used and bears concrete and useful fruits.
(Trefflé Mercier, Canada)
I donate to ESF because I agree with and trust the work that they fund. ESF runs and supports some of the most important spaces for Esperanto on the internet, always with a modern eye and inspiring results
(Fernando Maia Jr., Brazil)