{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,12]],"date-time":"2025-12-12T05:15:45Z","timestamp":1765516545010,"version":"3.48.0"},"reference-count":62,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,10]],"date-time":"2025-12-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1765324800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000780","name":"European Union","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000780","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001871","name":"Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e Tecnologia, I.P","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["2021.04924.BD"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2021.04924.BD"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001871","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"CIIE","award":["UIDB\/00267\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/00267\/2020"]}]},{"name":"CIIE","award":["UIDP\/00167\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDP\/00167\/2020"]}]},{"name":"CIIE","award":["UID\/00167"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UID\/00167"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Societies"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Learning the host language is a crucial factor in the settlement of migrants and refugees in a new country. It offers opportunities, but can also generate exclusion, marginalization, and isolation, hindering the possibilities of participation and the creation of social networks. Host language classes, therefore, play a crucial role, fostering critical awareness that enables learners to act within their social and cultural context. This promotes agency, autonomy, and empowerment, transforming differences into productivity and fostering social justice. This article focuses on classes of Portuguese as a host language (HL) in northern Portugal, examining how these contexts shape learners\u2019 relationship with the language beyond depoliticized or subaltern approaches. It discusses the main obstacles and difficulties in these educational settings, as well as mechanisms that could contribute to more democratic and effective practices. Drawing on interviews with teachers (n = 10), trainers (n = 4), volunteers (n = 8), and students (n = 20) involved in the HL learning process, the content analysis highlights how policies and pedagogical practices impact students and how they are interpreted by these actors, revealing their impact on processes of participation, belonging, and citizenship. The results indicate an emergent form of collective autonomy in the relationship among students, the host society, and teachers, which means that teaching practices encompass not only the development of communication skills but also the civic and political awareness of learners. Lastly, while the language teachers identified more practical barriers in these teaching and learning contexts, the students described emotional and sociocultural obstacles.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/soc15120346","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,10]],"date-time":"2025-12-10T14:22:40Z","timestamp":1765376560000},"page":"346","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The Politics of Host Language Teaching and Learning and Belonging: A Case Study with Adult Migrants and Refugees Learning Portuguese in the North of Portugal"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6779-8561","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria Lu\u00eds","family":"Queir\u00f3s","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Research and Intervention in Education (CIIE), Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7908-5649","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Isabel Margarida","family":"Duarte","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Linguistics of the University of Porto (CLUP), Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Porto, 4150-564 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5010-7397","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pedro D.","family":"Ferreira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Research and Intervention in Education (CIIE), Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"1","article-title":"Cidad\u00e3os Estrangeiros em Portugal: Migra\u00e7\u00f5es, crime e reclus\u00e3o","volume":"27","author":"Matos","year":"2012","journal-title":"Psicologia"},{"key":"ref_2","first-page":"159","article-title":"Fluxos Migrat\u00f3rios em Portugal: Do boom migrat\u00f3rio \u00e0 desacelera\u00e7\u00e3o no contexto de crise","volume":"39","author":"Padilla","year":"2012","journal-title":"Balan\u00e7os e Desafios. 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