The decision to publish in a minority language: the case of the Basque language

Abstract

ABSTRACT Since the normalization of the Basque language in the 1980s, this minority and co-official language of the Basque Autonomous Community has been increasingly present in the academic sphere. Universities and other public institutions have made a significant effort to ensure that this language coexists with Spanish, the majority language, and English – the lingua franca of the scientific milieu. This is reflected in the growth of scientific production in the Basque language. In this context, this study seeks to delve into why researchers choose to publish in Basque, although the decision to do so goes against what is generally needed for international recognition. For this purpose, the opinions of 301 Basque researchers in the social sciences and the humanities were collected. The lexical data were analyzed using the Reinert method. The results show that social activism and a sense of national identity play an important role in using Basque in academia. The knowledge transfer to the Basque community is not considered as significant.