Conducting Research Across Three Languages in a Multilingual Space: Polish Immigrants in Alanya

Gizem Karaköse
Additional contact information
Gizem Karaköse: Faculty of Humanities, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland

Social Inclusion, 2026, vol. 14

Abstract: In multilingual research, language choices and linguistic hierarchies play a significant role. The participants’ language preferences reveal emotional connection and confidence in their self‐expression. Building on Znaniecki’s (1927) concept of humanistic coefficient, Bourdieu’s (1991) theory of linguistic capital, and Blommaert’s (2010) and Heller’s (2007) understandings of multilingualism as social practice, this article examines how multilingual practices reveal underlying power dynamics and social hierarchies. From an ethical and methodological perspective, it proposes a model that prioritizes participant agency, minimizes biases, and redefines the researcher‐participant dynamic by granting participants the freedom to choose their interview language. Drawing on fieldwork conducted among Polish immigrants in Alanya, Türkiye, the article shows how multilingual practices during interviews expose hierarchies. It also allows code‐switching to function as a resource rather than an obstacle. The study offers a methodological framework for managing multilingual interviews, addressing the ethical and analytical challenges of linguistic hierarchies and code‐switching. It contributes to a broader understanding of social inclusion in migration studies by offering practical insights into developing fair participant‐researcher interactions. I argue that emphasizing participants’ linguistic realities and proposing adaptable strategies for multilingual research contribute to more inclusive and equitable methodologies in migration studies.

Keywords: code‐switching; interview; language hierarchies; multilingual research; social inclusion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/10786 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cog:socinc:v14:y:2026:a:10786

DOI: 10.17645/si.10786

Access Statistics for this article

Social Inclusion is currently edited by Mariana Pires

More articles in Social Inclusion from Cogitatio Press
Bibliographic data for series maintained by António Vieira () and IT Department ().