Language, Territory and Identity in a Globalised World

About the event

Wielojęzyczność jako szansa/Mehrsprachigkeit als Chance

Konferencja Naukowa organizowana przez Międzynarodowe Konsorcjum "Mehrsprachigkeit als Chance"

https://www.mehrsprachigkeit-als-chance.eu

In media and everyday discourse, multilingualism is commonly regarded as an integral part of internationalisation. It is likewise presented in political discourse as an important educational objective. Yet prevailing understandings of multilingualism tend to emphasise its instrumental role in facilitating effective communication, conceived of in rather narrow terms. From this perspective, multilingualism amounts to proficiency in languages perceived as offering pathways to educational and professional success.

The conference Language, Territory and Identity in a Globalised World seeks to offer a different perspective on these issues. The effects of globalisation on languages extend far beyond the demands it places on language proficiency to facilitate effective communication within the global economy and increasingly internationally oriented educational environments. Globalisation and the migration processes associated with it are fundamentally reshaping language communities. They are also profoundly changing the roles their members play, both within their communities and in relation to wider society. For instance, children from migrant families may find themselves interpreting for their parents while representatives of smaller language communities may become key advocates and facilitators in the promotion and implementation of multicultural approaches, particularly in culture and education. We also seek to explore linguistic practices associated with these developments, including translanguaging.

Although European schools continue to be shaped by a largely monolingual ethos, with educational success often dependent on a single language of instruction, the reality of everyday school life is multilingual. We aim to discuss approaches that recognise, accommodate and actively support this multilingualism.

Another important dimension is the mobility, both voluntary and forced, that has become part of everyday life and can lead to the fragmentation of language communities. Speakers of collateral languages increasingly live in diasporic communities, making it difficult and – in some cases – almost impossible, to maintain and promote their first languages. Are there approaches capable of safeguarding these endangered languages? What role does the territorial dimension play, particularly in the tensions between territory, language, multilingualism and minority communities?

In this context, we wish to explore questions arising from the principle of territoriality. Minority communities may enjoy relatively strong protection within their own language areas, yet find themselves without adequate safeguards and support beyond those areas precisely because protection is territorially defined. This dilemma is particularly acute in an era of increased mobility, which is itself closely linked to globalisation.

How does the identity of an individual change when opportunities to use their first language become severely limited? How does our sense of identity change when we come into contact with new languages or acquire them ourselves?

To demonstrate that these questions are by no means entirely new, we have invited Maciej Falkowski, who will join Tomasz Wicherkiewicz (Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań) for a discussion of his book Nasi Niemcy (Our Germans), published in 2026. The book tells the compelling story of the German minority in Poland, tracing its origins, its complex and multifaceted history, and the tragic developments during and after the Second World War. In doing so, it highlights the fluid and shifting nature of the concepts of a language area and a language community.

We have also invited representatives of minority-language communities who will not only present papers on their languages but also chair conference sessions conducted in those very languages.

Plenary lectures are planned by:

• Georg Gombos (University of Klagenfurt, Austria)
• Justyna Olko (University of Warsaw, Poland)
• Anna Schnitzer (Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany)

The conference programme will also include visits to schools and to the Documentation and Exhibition Centre of Germans in Poland.
Please send your registration, along with a brief summary of your planned paper, to: mehrsprachigkeit@pans.nysa.pl by February 15, 2027.