Historians and social scientists see language(s) as an unanalyzable ‘black box’ that only linguists can comprehend. Yet, with the rise of ethnolinguistic nationalism in the 19^th century, making and unmaking languages has become the basis of doing politics in Central and Eastern Europe. Linguists and scholars often double as politicians in this region. As a result, some of their pet hypotheses may be imposed on millions with horrific consequences, as now exemplified by Russia’s ongoing war on Ukraine. The module aspires to shed light on the mechanisms of language politics by focusing on cases drawn mostly from the Slavic-speaking areas.

Teaching Method: 30-minute introductory remarks (brief lecture) by the tutor for both the morning and afternoon session. However, as a matter of pedagogical principle, the seminars should be student-led. Hence, the students are to discuss a given seminar’s subject matter in pairs and/or as a group (whatever is most appropriate), on the basis of the required readings.

Tutor: Dr. habil Tomasz Kamusella, Reader in Modern History (University of St Andrews, Scotland, UK)

Unterrichtssprache: Englisch

Termine: Freitag/Samstag, 22./23.4.; 29./30.4.; 6./7.5.; 13./14.5., jeweils 11:00-12:30 & 13:30-15:00 Uhr

Einschreibung über Friedolin.

Offen für alle Studierenden des Unibunds Halle-Jena-Leipzig!