The Politics of Language: The Revival of Hebrew and Indigenous Languages

November 28, 2018
The term “language revival” refers to a community of speakers halting or reversing the decline of language, or reviving an extinct one. To date, scholars of ethnolinguistics and language politics identify the Hebrew language as the only successful revival movement, though spoken language has been viewed as an integral part of cultural identity since the late seventeenth century. In the Americas, language revival has become a necessary component for the survival of indigenous culture. In this lecture, Sofia Lago will discuss the politics of language and identity in the context of the Hebrew language’s successful revival, and efforts to revive indigenous languages in the Americas.
Part of the KHC/NEH 2018-19 Colloquium
Survivance on Turtle Island: Engaging with Native American Cultural Survival, Resistance, and Allyship
Speaker: Sofia Lago, KHC Curatorial Fellow; PhD candidate University of Bristol, UK