SEMINAR: The Anthropologist as Professional Polyglot: Questions of Accuracy, Respect and Intimacy

Anthropologists today have high expectations of language competence in the field. In countries (which include Australia) where doctoral programmes are restricted in length to three or four years, this results in (a) heavier emphasis on, and preference for, working “at home” and (b) greater stress and sometimes poorer performance for those who choose not to follow that path.

In this workshop, we will discuss: (1) strategies for fast language learning designed to increase students’ options; (2) the role of foreign languages in networking internationally; and (3) reasons for resisting the domination of English.

Emphasis will be laid on the value of mastering foreign languages to a high level of fluency specifically for those students whose research is conducted in English, and who may therefore find themselves more directly pressed to explain the global significance of their work for colleagues in the rest of the world.

Masterclasses are free, but Registration is essential to attend. To register for a class visit: www.ias.uwa.edu.au/masterclass