Language and Power

3 units

Language is implicated in the constitution and exercise of social power in a multitude of ways. Researchers have often distinguished between a micro-level of social interaction and the macro-level of larger political formations in order to understand the relationship between language and social power. However, our goal is to focus on the dialectical interplay between the two levels of analysis by looking at topics such as honorification as encoded in language, the role of language in resistance and hegemony, as well as ritual and authority. Further, the class will address the formation of collective identities and the legitimization of political projects such as state-formation on the basis of language.