Kirikiriroa Conversations: Special Kōrero by Dr. Huw Williams (Cardiff University).
| Date | Wednesday 8 November 2023 |
|---|---|
| Time | 3:30pm - 4pm |
| Where | S.G.01 |
| Presenter | Dr. Huw Williams |
| Contact | Dr. Kyle Barrett |
| Contact email | kyleb@waikato.ac.nz |
| Website | profiles.waikato.ac.nz/kyle.barrett |
| Admission Cost | Free |
Screen and Media Studies are proud to present a special kōrero by Dr. Huw Williams, Reader in Philosophy and Dean for the Welsh Language at Cardiff University. This kōrero is part of the Waikato-Cardiff Partnership, led by Prof. Gareth Schott (Screen and Media Studies) and we are thrilled Dr. Williams is able to present in-person to discuss aspects of his fascinating research investigating language revitalisation. This session will take place on Wednesday 8th November, 3:30-4:00PM in S.G.01. We will follow this with a few drinks (BYO) etc. in the Screen and Media Studies foyer. All welcome!
Abstract:
Losing Our Mind? Reflections on Language and Culture from a Third Voice
Cymru / Wales is a country characterised to a great extent by its linguistic landscape, and its minoritized language Cymraeg / Welsh. This talk briefly explores some of the historical events and processes that defined that landscape, and the relationship between the language and a hypothesized Welsh intellectual tradition, in contrast to the predominant Anglo-British episteme. The possibilities of the Meddwl Cymreig / ‘Welsh Mind’ are theorized with some critical reflection on how shifts in the linguistic landscape – including the contraction and dispersal of Welsh-speaking communities, the (perceived) threat of bilingualism, and the bureaucratization and neo-liberalization of language revitalization – impacts on the possibility of sustaining gwybodaeth Gymraeg / Welsh-language knowledge and a Welsh perspective in addressing and understanding the challenges of contemporary society (for example, how to navigate multiculturalism and forms of identity politics). In concluding, some preliminary remarks will be shared on how this voice – a minoritized European linguistic community – might be situated within the wider global linguistic landscape and how that might potentially impact on future understandings and actions.
Presenter: Huw Williams is a Reader in Philosophy and Dean for the Welsh Language at Cardiff University. His main interests are in political philosophy and the history of ideas, and he has published predominantly on discussions of global justice in English, and the intellectual history of Wales in Welsh.