Language and Expertise in International Organisations

As part of a conference on ‘Languages of Internationalism’, hosted by the Reluctant Internationalists research group, Heidi Tworek (University of British Columbia), Humphrey Tonkin (University of Hartford), Lisa McEntree-Atalianis (Birkbeck) and Sebastian Gehrig (Oxford) discuss language and expertise across international organisations in relation to the League of Nations, United Nations, and the states of East and West Germany. The panel, chaired by Jessica Reinisch (Birkbeck), addresses the emergence and uses of language within these organisations. ‘Languages of Internationalism’ aimed to shed light on the centrality of language to people’s pursuit and experiences of internationalism. Language is at the heart of every international enterprise, but as the conference showed, it presents obstacles and dilemmas, as well as opportunities. Many of the papers emphasised frictions and tensions which emerged over the use of languages in international settings. Discussions showed how language could be a tool of communication, solidarity and unity, as well as a force of division and alienation. But the conference also made clear the centrality of language in the performance, experience and pursuit of internationalism. For more information – http://bit.ly/2rC0u61