FSS-DGPA Seminar: How Official Language Shapes Political Minds
Speaker: Prof. Yue HU, Associate Professor and Deputy director of the Center on Data and Governance, Tsinghua University
Date：19 Apr 2024 (Fri)
Time：16:00 – 17:30
Venue: E21B-G002
Abstract: This research introduces the “Official Language Field” (OLF) theory, offering a novel perspective on how language policy influences public political cognition and behavioral preferences from a functional viewpoint. I tested the OLF hypotheses using data from the 2010–2015 waves of the “Chinese General Social Survey.” The empirical findings indicate that the language field created by Putonghua promotion policies significantly shapes Chinese citizens’ political cognition, social satisfaction, political efficacy, and evaluations of self and society, ultimately impacting their political trust. The analysis also demonstrates that enhancing various aspects of Putonghua proficiency among societal members leads to different mechanisms influencing public perceptions. These results provide new insights into the governance implications of language policy and introduce a novel angle on the relationship between language governance and the modernization of human society.
