In 1922, philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein declared that “the limits of my language mean the limits of my world." With the globally-connected community at the University of Michigan in mind, we invite you to an exploration of the cross-cultural academic expressive production that accompanies thinking and writing from a non-English background. Taking the University of Michigan as a case study, we hope to engage questions of scholarship and public expression incubated in the globalized environment that is the contemporary American university. Rather than focusing on the mechanics of English as a Second Language or as a lingua franca, we seek a discussion around scholarly expression in a multicultural, globalized academia. How does an American academic culture of expression interact with the increasingly international body of authors on campus? And, what does it mean to think and write from a non-normative background? Please join us for a scholarly conversation on multilingualism and the pleasures and difficulties of translation.
Hors-d'oeuvres to be served.
The public is welcome!
University of Michigan
School of Social Work
1080 South University Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1106