Imagined Communities
Defined
The term "imagined communities" was initially coined by Benedict Anderson in his influential work on nationalism under the same title as “imagined because members of even the smallest nation will never know most of their fellow-members, meet them, or even hear of them, yet in the minds of each lives the image of their communion” (p. 6). The book can be purchased here.
In Context
Imagined Communities as They Pertain to Language Learning
References
Anderson, B. (2006). Imagined communities : Reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism (Rev. ed.). Verso.
DisneyMusicVEVO. (2014, December 11). Jodi Benson - Part of Your World (Official Video From "The Little Mermaid”) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXKlJuO07eM
Kanno, Y., & Norton, B. (2003). Imagined communities and educational possibilities: Introduction. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 2(4), 241-249. doi:10.1207/S15327701JLIE0204_1
Norton, B. (2010) Language and Identity. In: Hornberger, N. H., & McKay, S. L. (2010). Sociolinguistics and Language Education. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters, pp. 349-369