"The Language Question in African Studies"
Columbia's Institute of African Studies invites you to "Lunchtime Conversations," a twice-monthly gathering featuring engaging discussions on diverse topics in African Studies. Join us for light lunches and rich conversation.
Any serious understanding of Africa begins with language study. This lunchtime conversation will explore the role of African languages in scholarship and knowledge production at the university. We will discuss which languages we engage with, how, and why—Swahili or Sheng? Igbo or Pidgin? French or Fulbe? Arabic or Amazigh?—and consider how language shapes interdisciplinary inquiry. How does engaging with African languages through art, particularly music, open new questions and possibilities? How is Africa represented in language departments beyond the African Languages Program? How might New York City serve as a resource for African language studies, and where does technology fit into this conversation?
This week's speakers will be:
- Taoufik Ben Amor, Senior Lecturer in Arabic Studies, Columbia University
- Mariame Sy, Lecturer, Wolof and Pulaar, Columbia University