معلومات المساق

How does language divide and connect us in today’s world? In this seminar, we approach this question by discussing the role of language in un/making boundaries, i.e. in establishing connections and divisions. We understand boundaries in various ways. Boundaries could be borders between nation states or between groups of people: In this context we look at the role of language(s) in people’s migration journeys, at how language itself can make the crossing of borders easier or more difficult, and at how it can establish new boundaries between people. Such boundaries can run intersectionally, for example along racial, gender, and class lines. Boundaries could also be the borders between languages themselves: Here we get insights into the experiences of people for whom language is not necessarily divided into separate boxes called English, Swahili, Xhosa and the like, and who use and conceptualize language much more fluidly and flexibly than what Northern theoretical perspectives suggest. Lastly, boundaries could also be the borders between language and the body: several African language practices, like literally drinking suras from the Qur’an or avoiding pronouncing certain words or even syllables in specific social situations (Isihlonipho Sabafazi), invite us to rethink ideas of language as a communication tool that is separate from the material world and the body. In our discussions, we engage with concepts like (intercultural) translation and translanguaging together with other Southern decolonial perspectives that allow us to think in a new way about the potential of language in un/making boundaries.