1 Introduction

Explored the importance of human agency in different disciplines since the Enlightenment, emphasizing the relationship between agency and free will, purposefulness, selectivity, initiative, creativity, and reflection. Language Policy and Planning (LPP) is closely linked to the macro social and political environment, epistemology, and development strategies, and the active role of individuals in the language policy process is receiving increasing attention. The journal "Practical Issues in Language Planning" launched a special issue on LPP agency research in 2021, covering agency behavior in language education policies and practices. Sociology, anthropology, psychology, and education provide theoretical frameworks for the study of agency. The book "Research on Language Policy and Planning Initiative" is co authored by Gregory Paul Glasgow and Jeremie Bouchard, and is part of the "Lauterbach Critical Studies of Multilingualism" series. It focuses on methodological issues in the study of LPP initiative and provides theoretical and methodological guidance for researchers and learners in related fields.

2 Content Introduction

The book consists of an introduction and seven chapters. The introduction section introduces the research methods and the central arguments of each chapter, emphasizing that the study of LPP agency should be problem oriented and adopt methods such as ethnography, quantitative analysis, and discourse analysis. Chapter One analyzes the language identity issues of two minority groups, Croatia and Italy, and explores the agency of individuals and communities in language management. Chapter 2 investigates the language preservation issues of the South Sudanese refugee community in Queensland, Australia, revealing individuals' self-awareness processes within social structures and cultural environments. Chapter 3 focuses on the street language landscape in Malaysia, exploring the challenges of national language planning and the performance of actors at different levels. Chapter 4 examines the language selection and retention of the Malay people in the Malay Peninsula, and analyzes the factors that affect intergenerational language transmission. Chapter 5 explores the active performance of Vietnamese university teachers in implementing language education policies based on their research. Chapter 6 studied the initiative of teachers in the language program at San Diego Community College in the United States and analyzed the factors that affect teaching practice. Chapter 7 explores how Australian secondary school English teachers utilize multilingual resources to implement translingual practices and symbol switching strategies in their teaching.

3 Brief Review

This article reviews the book "Research on the Agency of Language Policy and Planning" and points out that it adopts interdisciplinary research methods such as language policy ethnography, quantitative analysis, and discourse analysis to explore the agency performance of agents in language policy and planning under different national backgrounds. The characteristics of the book include: analyzing agency from the perspective of social realism, emphasizing the agency of individuals or groups in language issues; Integrate multiple research pathways to provide reference for empirical research in multiple countries; Multiple research methods have been used to fill the gap in the study of LPP proactivity. At the same time, there are also some shortcomings in the book, such as the need to further enrich the research path and methods, and the need to strengthen the logic of individual discussions and the standardization of literature citations. Nevertheless, the book is still regarded as a cutting-edge achievement in the study of LPP agency and has reference significance for LPP research in China.