Searching for a Shared Language

As part of a conference on ‘Languages of Internationalism’, hosted by the Reluctant Internationalists research group, Marc Volovici (Princeton University), Nick Underwood (University of Colorado Boulder) and Carmen Mangion (Birkbeck) discuss the search for a shared language in relation to the examples of German as a Zionist lingua franca, Yiddish in interwar Paris, and the language of governance amongst Catholic networks and communities. The panel, chaired by David Brydan (Birkbeck), addresses how shared these languages were. ‘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