CAN UNIVERSITIES SAVE INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES? THE CASE OF QUECHUA

About: Different initiatives are promoting Quechua Language and Andean culture within the US academic sphere. Quechua is the most widely spoken American Indigenous language (about 8-million speakers), however, UNESCO and other organizations recognize it as an endangered language.  We will discuss the importance of Indigenous language planning and revitalization and how these initiatives can collaborate in the promotion of a more diverse approach and understanding of Latin America.

Bio: Américo Mendoza–Mori joined the University of Pennsylvania in 2014 where he teaches Quechua and Spanish, and also started the Quechua Penn Initiative. Previously he has taught Spanish and Latin American Studies courses at the University of Miami, Florida. His research focuses on cultural policies and development in cities of the Andes and Brazil, like Cusco and Rio de Janeiro.

Thursday, April 28, 2016, at 11:00 am

Edward B. Bunn, S.J. Intercultural Center, 208A, 37th, and O St., N.W., Washington