Longstanding international security structures seem to be falling apart. For decades, global stability has relied on US leadership, a premise that is now in question as the US redefines its position. The NATO alliance, the single most important contributor to peace and security in North America and Europe, is in crisis. The conflict between India and Pakistan has significant implications for global security with its potential for nuclear escalation and the impact on trade and economic stability. At the nexus of the erosion of international cooperation and security is language.
“Snakes,” “Cockroaches,” and “Termites”: Linguistic Cues and National Security is a two-day seminar that brings together scholars across several disciplines to discuss how language use contributes to the deterioration of national and international security. Through connections across diverse fields such as international studies, political science, and linguistics, the seminar will explore how language interweaves forms of linguistic coding with patterns of violence and the pivotal role that language plays in both human and international security.
The goal of the seminar is to study how language is critical to our understanding of security dynamics, which includes how security is perceived by those under threat as well as those creating the threats. A key areas of focus include the deterioration of international cooperation in security and how language has played a role in this deterioration and how language both maintains and loses significance in this evolving landscape.
Confirmed panelists include:
- Luvell Anderson, University of Illinois
- David Beaver, University of Texas at Austin
- Ashwini Deo, University of Texas at Austin
- IIa Nagar, The Ohio State University
- Joyojeet Pal, University of Michigan
- Jaroslav Tir, University of Colorado, Boulder
- Lynne Tirrell, University of Connecticut
- Inés Valdez, Johns Hopkins University