K. de Bot: A History of Applied Lingusitics: From 1980 to the Present

Abstract

In A History of Applied Linguistics: From 1980 to the Present, Kees de Bot presents more than a historical review of, or sociological perspective on, Applied Linguistics (AL). He explains that he began this project with the intention of writing a book on the sociology of AL that would contribute ‘to the establishment of AL as a discipline’ (p. xiii). However, de Bot has achieved more than this: the book broadens a reader’s view on what applied linguistics is, what an applied linguist is, who its leaders are, what its foundational theoretical perspectives are, what the challenges of the field are as it matures and establishes itself in academia, and what impact the field has made. This is not achieved by providing a handbook of different subfields; there are other edited volumes that are devoted to that (e.g. Kaplan 2002; Davies 2004; Simpson 2011). Instead, de Bot has sought the views of around 100 scholars (some in face-to-face interviews and others through questionnaires) and has synthesized their responses so as to create a picture of ‘the state of play of a field; a screenshot of what may or may not be a community or a discipline’ (p. 133).