Resisting Dismissal in the Gàidhealtachd

Abstract

Susan Samata proposes the application of Judith Butler's (2016) theory of vulnerability in resistance, rooted in gender and feminist studies, to linguistic issues, wherein ‘… vulnerability is framed not as a prima facie need for protection, but as the very ground for resistance’ ( Samata, 2017 : 4). Having explicitly identified the looming demolinguistic challenge facing the Gaelic speaker group in the Gàidhealtachd ( Ó Giollagáin et al., 2020 ), the next priority is to resist that which threatens potentially disastrous consequences for a language and a culture.