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13th Annual U-M Pakistan Conference | Undoing Linguistic Hegemony: Rethinking Belonging and Identity Through and Beyond Urdu

Friday, March 29, 2024
9:00 AM-5:00 PM
Room 1010 Weiser Hall Map
Full conference details and program at https://myumi.ch/xqQb9

This conference examines language use in Pakistan. With an eye towards native linguistic diversity that has challenged colonial-nationalist notions of monolingualism, the 13th Annual Conference on Pakistan seeks to disentangle the relationships between national, regional, and local languages. Historically, studies on languages in Pakistan have highlighted the statewide recognition of Urdu, contesting regionalism established by Punjabi, pre-British Raj Persian courtly and literary works, and, recently, the social status of English in the globalized world. Significantly less attention has been drawn to Pakistan's linguistic pluralism. Drawing upon the groundwork initially established by Tariq Rahman, this conference will serve as a gateway to enrich and complicate the relationships between languages and the ligatures of the state, social movements, literature, devotion, and performance. Using multidisciplinary, multitemporal frameworks to elucidate these relationships, we seek to generate a lively discussion unpacking the language hegemonies associated with Pakistan and their current places within the multilingual spaces that its citizens inhabit. While engaging primarily with Pakistan, we aim to open dialogues that celebrate linguistic diversity across South Asia and its diasporas, particularly as the marks of globalization reveal the everlasting relevance of language recognition and support.

Made possible with the generous support of the Title VI grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Cosponsored by the Department of History of Art, the U-M Residential College, Arab and Muslim American Studies, the Department of History, the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, the Institute for Research on Women and Gender, and the American Institute of Pakistan Studies.

If there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you, please contact us. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange.
Building: Weiser Hall
Event Type: Conference / Symposium
Tags: Asia, pakistan
Source: Happening @ Michigan from Center for South Asian Studies, Residential College, Institute for Research on Women and Gender, History of Art, International Institute, Asian Languages and Cultures, Department of History, Arab and Muslim American Studies (AMAS)