Making Language Work: Multilingualism in the Danish Agricultural Sector (MiDAS)
This project explores the relations between language and work in the Danish agricultural sector. The aim is to further theorise the concept of ‘language work’ in relation to labour migration and trace the value ascriptions that form the infrastructure of labour for workers, workplaces and society.
In the MiDAS project, we explore multilingualism and work in a globalised labour market by studying labour migration and multilingual workplaces in the Danish agricultural sector. We ask how language at work and language as work are valued as part of integration processes, workplace communication, and individual experiences. We also assess and theorise relations between language and work, thereby contributing to the development of better opportunities for communication and integration in the workplace. To understand language and work in its complexity, we study policies and practices as well as beliefs. The project is designed as a multi-sited ethnography of the Danish agricultural sector with data consisting of observations and recordings of workplace interactions, interviews and policy documents.
- What forms of value attach to different forms of language work?
- How do these values reflect and shape relations between language and work?
- What are the consequences of these relations for workers, workplaces, and Danish society?
- How can knowledge of language-and-work relations be used to develop multilingual practices and policies that foster inclusion and productivity in a context of labour migration?
The MiDAS project consists of four work packages. WP1 and WP2 are the empirical backbone of the project, while WP3 and WP4 are concerned with theory development and knowledge application respectively.
- “Mapping Affordances and Constraints to Multilingualism”, led by Charlotte Sun Jensen
- "Studying the Uses of Language in a Multilingual Workplace”, led by Nuranindia Endah Arum
- “Theorising the Value of Language Work”, led by Kamilla Kraft
- “Applying results and Making Language Valuable”, led by Kamilla Kraft
The project’s advisory board is composed of world-leading experts on language and work:
- Alexandre Duchêne, Université de Fribourg
- Dorte Lønsmann, Københavns Universitet
- Jillian R. Cavanaugh, CUNY The City University of New York
- Spencer Hazel, Newcastle University
Conferences
- 9th Language & Work Workshop: Navigating Discourses and Practices of Employability. University of Jyväskylä, October 11, 2024. Kamilla Kraft. “Making Language Work: Multilingualism in the Danish Agricultural Sector”.
- 10th Language & Work Workshop: Language as/at Work in Education. Haute École Pédagogique du canton de Vaud, Lausanne. March 6, 2026. Kamilla Kraft. “Learning ‘language’ in the workplace”.
Presentations
- Sprog og Samfund. Nordiske Studier og Sprogvidenskab, Københavns Universitet. January 19, 2026. Kamilla Kraft & Charlotte Sun Jensen. “Making Language Work: Multilingualism in the Danish Agricultural Sector.”
- “Rooted in Denmark”. Dansk Industri. March 5, 2026. Charlotte Sun Jensen.“Internationale medarbejderes veje ind I arbejdsfællesskabet: Sprogs betydning for faglig identitet, trivsel og tilknytning.”
- Studiekredsen. Nordiske Studier og Sprogvidenskab, Københavns Universitet. March 11, 2026. Charlotte Sun Jensen. “Forskerpositioner i midlertidige flersprogede fællesskaber i et globaliseret landbrug.”
Researchers
| Name | Title | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arum, Nuranindia Endah | Postdoc | +4535329590 | |
| Jensen, Charlotte Sun | Postdoc | ||
| Kraft, Kamilla | Associate Professor | ||
| Titiriga, Elena-Lavinia | Student FU |