Call for Papers: The Politics of Multilingualism: Possibilities and Challenges

On 22-24 May 2017, the Amsterdam School for Transnational, Regional and European Studies of the Faculty of Humanities of the Universiteit van Amsterdam will host an international conference organized by ARTES (artes.uva.nl), ISPA’s RC50 (rc50.ipsa.org) and MIME (mime-project.org).

In recent years, global trends in migration, trade and overall mobility have continued to transform our objective realities and subjective experiences of linguistic diversity. More broadly, in many countries, the politics of multilingualism have raised new possibilities for collaboration and action as well as challenges to social solidarity and democratic life. In response, scholars in the broad field of language policy and planning have studied language policy choices, linguistic vitality and language revitalization, curriculum development and pedagogies, governing mechanisms and policy instruments, and explored the conditions for linguistic justice in complex societies.

This conference will provide an opportunity to examine and better understand these various possibilities and challenges associated with the contemporary politics of multilingualism. Proposals for individual papers or for panels are invited. We welcome case studies and comparisons, as well as papers adopting a theoretical or normative perspective. Established academics and early-career scholars are invited to submit proposals.

Our keynote speaker will be Dr. Linda Cardinal (University of Ottawa, Canada). Dr. Cardinal is Professor in the School of Political Studies and holder of the Chaire de recherche sur la francophonie canadienne et les politiques publiques at the University of Ottawa. She is one of Canada’s leading experts on language and politics, and her recent comparative work has focused on language regimes and state traditions. Dr. Cardinal is past president of IPSA’s RC50.

Proposals for papers should include full contact details (email address, mailing address, and affiliation) of the author(s) and an abstract of up to 250 words.

Panel proposals must include:

  • A minimum of three papers and a maximum of four;
  • Panel title and individual paper titles
  • Short description of panel (up to 250 words)
  • Contact details of chair, paper-givers and discussant

The final deadline for electronic submission of proposals is 20 January 2017. Notices of acceptance will be sent out no later than 15 February 2017. Proposals should be submitted to: l.k.maracz@uva.nl.

Conference registration will cost 50€ for all participants (paper-givers, discussants, chairs and attendees). Looking forward to seeing you in Amsterdam.

The organizers,

Dr. Rémi LÉGER (Simon Fraser University, rleger@sfu.ca)
Dr. László MARÁCZ (University of Amsterdam, l.k.maracz@uva.nl)
Dr. Christian NOACK (University of Amsterdam, c.a.noack@uva.nl)