[lg policy] calls: 2010 International Indigenous Language Policy Research Conference Set for April 26-27

[Harold Schiffman]

  April 09, 2010
2010 International Indigenous Language Policy Research Conference Set for
April 26-27

[image: IL_Conference]The American Indian Language Policy Research and
Teacher Training Center in the College of Education and the Language,
Literacy & Sociocultural Studies Graduate Student Organization are hosting
the 2010 International Indigenous Language Policy Research Conference on
Monday-Tuesday, April 26-27. The conference, which will be held in the
Student Union Building from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, will focus on the
impact of national and local policies on the survival of indigenous
languages throughout the Americas.

Featured keynote speakers include Dr. Richard Little Bear, President of Dull
Knife Tribal College in Montana and longtime Native language activist, and
Dr. Matthew Martinez from New Mexico Higher Education, a grandson of Esther
Martinez for whom the recent Esther Martinez Act was named, who will talk
about the legacy of his grandmother’s work with New Mexico language issues.
The Esther Martinez Act helps provide for the revitalization of Native
American languages through Native American language immersion programs.

Additionally, Dr. Barbara Rogoff, an internationally-known researcher of
childhood socialization in Indigenous communities of Mexico will address,
along with Indigenous representatives of a special research collective,
“Continuities and Changes in Indigenous Ways of Teaching and Learning.”

The conference, which has doubled in terms of the number of papers submitted
for presentation from last year, will also feature two new strands this year
including one where graduate students present their research works in
progress and also a poster session.

“The new strands will provide both an opportunity for graduate students to
present their own research work in progress to conference participants and
researchers in the field and representatives from local Indigenous
communities and other Native American tribal language programs to talk about
Indigenous language issues in their own communities,” said Dr. Christine
Sims, assistant professor in the College of Education.

Indigenous communities in the Americas face daunting challenges in
maintaining their respective languages in the midst of rapidly expanding
global influences and the impact of national and local educational policies
that often place Indigenous languages in conflict with majority languages.
In the Americas alone, 1,000 languages have already disappeared or reached
the threshold of extinction within the last quarter century.

The future survival of remaining Indigenous languages is an increasing area
of concern among many Indigenous groups engaged in emerging community-based
and school-based language initiatives. As these efforts have emerged, a
major source of conflict has often been the impact that social, economic,
political and education policies have had on these initiatives. Research
about the long-term effect of policy development upon the survival of
Indigenous languages has been of particular concern among Indigenous
leaders, educators and advocates working on behalf of Indigenous
communities.

Some of the topics and issues that will be explored during the conference
include: International social, economic, or political polices and their
impact on grass root efforts for Indigenous language maintenance and
revitalization; national education policies and their on impact Indigenous
language maintenance initiatives; the role of school and community-based
efforts in the survival of Indigenous languages and key issues, and
challenges facing Indigenous language communities.

Housed in the College of Education, a central aspect of the Center’s mission
is to facilitate an international dialogue about policy issues that will
foster a better understanding of the unique issues challenging Indigenous
communities in the maintenance and survival of their respective languages.
Its goal is to explore the commonalities that will help build collaborative
support and advocacy of Indigenous language maintenance efforts by bringing
together scholars and advocates representing diverse language communities.

A complete conference schedule will be released soon. Conference
registration information is available by calling Assistant Professor
Christine Sims at (505) 277-3175, via e-mail, csims at unm.edu or Program
Manager Dr. Penny Bird at, (505) 277-0537 or e-mail, cpbirdsd at unm.edu.

*Media Contact:* Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr at unm.edu



http://www.unm.edu/~market/cgi-bin/archives/005032.html

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