Taking an interest: competence in and affiliations with the expected languages of schooling in Vanuatu

This chapter reflects on ethnographic research in two school communities in Vanuatu. A key aim of ethnography is to understand the perspectives of those within the communities among whom the researcher is living. We gain different insights depending on which language we choose to use, and depending on how successful we are in utilising and affiliating with the relevant linguistic resources. Here, I consider the way my affiliation with and competence in Bislama, English and French affected my understanding of the linguistic undercurrents of Vanuatu’s education system