Who Can Participate, Where, and How? Connections between Language-in-Education and Social Justice in Policies of Refugee Inclusion.

This article examines how language-in-education policies affect the economic, political, and cultural participation of Sudanese and South Sudanese refugees in Uganda, focusing on the inclusion of refugees in national education systems. Drawing on 76 interviews with refugee heads-of-households, Ugandan teachers, and policymakers, it highlights tensions between the dominant use of English—valued for economic opportunity—and the multilingual realities refugees navigate, including the importance of Luganda and languages from countries of origin. The study finds that monolingual English policies often limit refugees’ full participation and cultural recognition, while advocating for a "language-as-resource" approach that embraces multilingualism to support refugees’ diverse present needs and future aspirations across contexts. The article underscores the role of inclusive language practices in fostering social justice understood as parity of participation in education and broader societal domains.