Translanguaging towards social justice: a bibliometric review of research (2004–2023): a bibliometric analysis

Over the past two decades, translanguaging has increasingly garnered the attention and interest of scholars, frequently serving as a theoretical or practical framework. This study utilizes bibliometric analysis to create a comprehensive knowledge map of social justice research from a translanguaging perspective, drawing on 20 years of data from the Web of Science (WoS) database. The analysis encompasses articles published between 2004 and 2023 to illustrate the status of social justice research through a translanguaging lens, identify key research topics, and suggest future research directions. By using the keywords “translanguaging” and “social justice” and filtering for articles and early access publications, 475 articles were retrieved. The findings, derived from production, content, and citation analysis using a bibliometric tool, highlight three key points: first, research in this area demonstrates notable growth and potential, with increasing contributions from diverse authors, institutions, and countries. Second, central themes such as “language,” “language policy,” and “multilingualism” underscore the field’s multifaceted nature, while “multimodality” emerges as a key topic for future exploration. Third, the study highlights macro, meso, and micro levels of engagement. At the macro level, policymakers can enhance their assessment of the effectiveness of institutions, universities, and scholars in promoting social justice through translanguaging research. At the meso level, schools and teachers should harness students’ linguistic potential and foster equitable practices. At the micro level, students are encouraged to utilize diverse resources and challenge monolingual norms. This study emphasizes the potential of translanguaging research to advance social justice in multilingual education.