Indigenous Languages: From Endangerment to Revitalization and Resilience

The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed 2019 as the Year of Indigenous Languages and the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) is looking to strengthen their ties with academic institutions. Areas studies centers at the International Institute have organized a joint conference titled “Indigenous Languages: From Endangerment to Revitalization and Resilience” on October 25th, 2018. Results of this conference will be reported to the UN Permanent Forum.

Topics to be covered include indigenous language education, identity and representation and their intersection with national politics, culture production and heritage, historical context for the construction of indigeneity, among others. Speakers come from US and foreign institutions with expertise on the regions of Africa, North America, East and Southeast Asia, South Asia, Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Latin America. This cross-regional and interdisciplinary discussion will surely be of interest to University of Michigan’s faculty and students and members of the general public engaged with issues of indigenous language, culture, and politics.

Conference Schedule

8:30 – 9:00am   Breakfast

9:00 – 9:30am   Opening Remarks

• Joshua Cole
  
• Sally Thomason

9:30 – 11:00am  Panel 1: The Process of Endangerment

• Gulnisa Nazarova
• Pavel Sulyandziga

11:00 – 1:00pm  Panel 2: Colonial Legacies

• Martín Vega Olmedo
• Bruce Mannheim

2:00 – 3:30pm    Panel 3: Languages Made Visible

• G. N. Devy
• Colleen M. Fitzgerald
• Jeffrey Heath

3:30 – 5:00pm    Panel 4: Revitalization Through Advocacy

• Dan Kaufman
• Justin Brown

5:00 – 5:30pm   Closing Remarks

• Sally Thomason

5:30pm    Reception

 

For more information, visit:  myumi.ch/JgDqP

This event is free and open to the public. Registration is not required.

Join the conversation @iimichigan #WeAreIndigenous #UMindigenous.