Description of Activity
Organiser of the 'Inclusive language(s): Beyond buzzwords' workshop. This event aims to bring together NGO practitioners, policy makers and researchers to discuss their experiences and views on the link between language, inclusion and power dynamics. It uses the publication of the book ‘Development NGOs and Languages: Listening, Power and Inclusion’ by Hilary Footitt, Angela Crack & Wine Tesseur as a starting point for a broader discussion on inclusive language and the use of buzzwords in the aid sector. The book raised important questions around the link between language(s) and power, and who speaks and listens in NGO work. While the book was being written and in production, two key developments have generated more awareness and debate around issues of inclusive language in the aid sector: The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a new jargon of technical health terms that has largely originated in English, and is difficult to translate into other languages. The Black Lives Matter movement has intensified debates in the aid sector on equity, racism and decolonisation, and discussions about the language(s) we use have become a core part of these debates. This event aims to continue the discussion on languages, inclusion and power. We will pose the question: how can we move beyond the dominance of English buzzwords? How can we be more conscious of our language choices and their implications for principles of inclusivity and equity? What changes do we need to make to how we use language(s) to ensure two-way dialogue and learning?| Period | 22 Apr 2021 |
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| Event type | Workshop |
| Degree of Recognition | International |