Decolonising Language Studies Symposium II

This symposium on Decolonising Language Studies is the second event in a series that responds to current calls about decolonising the curriculum by fostering a transdisciplinary dialogue across linguistics, cultural studies, social sciences and politics as well as the critical study of discourse, intercultural communication, and multilingualism. On this second symposium, and a planned conference in 2024, we continue to explore the ways in which sociolinguistic ethnographic methods and participatory research can contribute to the conceptual and institutional re-grounding of the study of language(s) in a way which pinpoints the role of language in understanding political and social professes of (in)securitisation, intercultural understanding, and social equity. 

By engaging in this discussion, we would like to bring the study of minoritized groups, linguistic citizenship, and transcultural becoming to the fore in language education.  What makes this discussion on decolonising and transcultural becoming particularly timely for the region studied at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies and the School itself is the current need to engage with research on the region in contexts of violence – now again. Invited speakers from critical sociolinguistics and linguistics will respond to the questions raised above and to a position paper presented by the organisers, which will be followed by reflections from colleagues working in sociolinguistics, politics and social sciences, and cultural and literary studies.

Organisers: Dr Jelena Ćalić and Dr Eszter Tarsoly on behalf of the PROLang (Policy, Research and Outreach for Language-based area studies) Research Group in collaboration with UCL Institute of Advanced Studies.

Confirmed speakers: Professor Li Wei (UCL Institute of Education), Professor Alison Phipps (University of Glasgow), and Dr Victoria Odeniyi (University of Arts London).

Discussants: Dr Riitta-Liisa Valijarvi (UCL SSEES), Dr Rachel Morley (UCL SSEES), Professor Ben Rampton (King’s College London). Other discussants to be confirmed shortly.