The Language(s) of Segregation: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Spatial, Social, and Symbolic Division in Cities
Short description
This research environment is taking a new approach to an old problem. We argue that the segregation that characterizes our cities is not only spatial and socio-economic, but also linguistic and symbolic. How we interact (or not) with other people and groups, and how we view and value each other, depends largely on how we speak. Both the (named) language(s) we speak and the way we speak is determined by geography, class and gender, among other factors. Language conveys our thoughts, feelings and actions, it creates, recreates and challenges borders, identities and power structures. The research environment therefore aims to explore and explain the role of language in segregation. Without this understanding, there is a risk that the societal measures that are currently being implemented to counteract segregation will fail.
The aim of this research environment is to examine the role of language and multilingualism in segregation in four ways:
- by analyzing how discourses about segregation have been evolving in Swedish politics and media over the last fifty years
- by studying the area-based anti-segregation programs that the City of Gothenburg has developed and how they deal with the multilingualism of their residents
- by studying how segregation is materialized in language and design choices on signs and in the naming of new residential areas
- and how residents of both socio-economically disadvantaged and privileged areas in Gothenburg perceive the public discourses on segregation and their own role in it, as well as how they experience their linguistic and built environment.
Participants
Johan Järlehed (PI), Department of Swedish, Multilingualism, and Language Technology, University of Gothenburg
Helena Holgersson, Department of Cultural Studies, University of Gothenburg
Maria Löfdahl, Institute for Language and Folklore
Nazem Tahvilzadeh, Department of Social Sciences, Södertörn University
Daniel Wojahn, Department of Culture and Learning, Södertörn University
Dimitrios Kokkinakis, Department of Swedish, Multilingualism, and Language Technology, University of Gothenburg