Russian as a Commodity: Medical Tourism and the Healthcare Industry in Post-Soviet Lithuania

Autor/in	Muth, Sebastian
Titel	Russian as a Commodity: Medical Tourism and the Healthcare Industry in Post-Soviet Lithuania
Quelle	In: International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 20 (2017) 4, S.404-416 (13 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1367-0050
DOI	10.1080/13670050.2015.1115002
Schlagwörter	Russian; Patients; Tourism; Medical Services; Self Concept; Language Attitudes; Public Policy; Language Proficiency; Foreign Countries; Language Usage; Hospitals; Clinics; Standards; Costs; Discourse Analysis; Health Services; Health Personnel; Ethnography; Participant Observation; Interviews; Questionnaires; Lithuania + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Russisch; Patient; Tourismus; Arzt; Selbstkonzept; Sprachverhalten; Öffentliche Ordnung; Language skill; Language skills; Sprachkompetenz; Ausland; Sprachgebrauch; Krankengymnast; Krankenhaus; Standard; Cost; Kosten; Diskursanalyse; Health service; Gesundheitsdienst; Gesundheitswesen; Medizinisches Personal; Ethnografie; Teilnehmende Beobachtung; Interviewing; Interviewtechnik; Fragebogen; Litauen
Abstract	The focus of this paper is on Lithuania, where government policies continue to limit the use of Russian in education, the public space and the media, while the local economy has recognized proficiency in Russian as a commodity. This is particularly salient in the healthcare industry that grew significantly in the past years with patients from post-Soviet countries seeking treatment at local hospitals and private clinics. Marketed for their "European" standards and competitive prices, promotional discourses refer to proficiency in Russian and familiarity with Russian culture and customs among medical staff. This commodification of Russian challenges perceptions on the value of language in the formation of political and cultural identities, pointing towards a paradigmatic shift and renegotiation of language attitudes in countries of the former USSR. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01