[lg policy] CONF April 18 Articulating Ethnicity: Language and the Boundaries of the Himalayas, University at Buffalo

[Walter Hakala]

[image: HimalayaImage2.png]

Articulating Ethnicity

Language and the Boundaries of the Himalayas

Saturday, April 18, 2015, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

280 Park Hall, University at Buffalo, North Campus

Free and open to the public

(*registration required* http://j.mp/HimalayaConf)

Situated at the peripheries of the world’s two most populous
nation-states—India and China—the Himalayan region represents an
exceptional site for the study of the intersection of language, ethnic and
national politics. As the Himalayas are home to both contested
ethno-nationalisms and disputed and shifting borders, language often finds
itself not only at the forefront of the region’s cultural politics, but
also its geopolitics. Fredrik Barth’s Ethnic Groups and Boundaries (1969)
signified a major shift in the approach to the study of ethnic groups.
Barth argued that, if we focus on boundaries, we can see that the forms
ethnicity takes are relational—it is the boundary, in fact, which makes
salient the cultural content of ethnic groups. This conference engages with
and utilizes Barth’s early insights to investigate the role of language in
boundary maintenance among Himalayan peoples. We seek to emphasize ethnicity,
culture, and nationalism as products of this on-going boundary maintenance.
Thus, in this conference, we ask: What roles do languages play in the
production of Himalayan ethnicities and nationalisms?

 This workshop-style conference is not only for those who are interested in
the Himalayan or South Asian regions, but those who have a theoretical
interest in language politics, the role of languages in the making of ethnic
groups and national polities, and the study of borders and boundaries.

Presented by the Foundations of South Asian Studies HI Research Workshop
<http://asianstudies.buffalo.edu/SouthAsiaAtUB/FSAS.html>.

Co-sponsored by the UB Humanities Institute, Department of English,
Department of Linguistics, Department of Anthropology, Asian Studies
Program, and the James H. McNulty Chair in English.
Program To view paper abstracts, visit http://j.mp/himabstractSaturday,
April 18, 20158:30 am - 9:00 am Coffee and Light Breakfast9:00 am -
11:00 am Panel
1: Language

Chair: Elizabeth Mazzolini (Virginia Tech)


“Situating Language, Recognising Multilingualism: Linguistic Identities and
Mother Tongue Attachments in the Himalayas,” Mark Turin, Associate
Professor, Anthropology, Chair, First Nations Languages Program, University
of British Columbia

“From Monolingual to Multilingual, Twice Over: The Rise of English
Alternatives in Cosmopolitan Nepal,” Heather Hindman, Associate Professor,
Asian Studies, The University of Texas at Austin

“Practicing Ethnic Identity through Mother Tongue Educational Programming:
The Case of Anipaan in Eastern Nepal,” Ingrid Hakala, PhD in Education,
University of Virginia


11:00 am - 11:15 am Coffee Break
11:15 am - 12:45 pm Panel 2: Abroad

Chair: Vasiliki Neofotistos (University at Buffalo)


“The Blurry Boundaries of “Nepaliness” in New York,” *Susan Hangen,
Professor, Anthropology and International Studies, Ramapo College*

“Producing the ‘Omkar Family’: Nepali-Bhutanese Refugees’ Dynamic
Ethnicities,” Joseph Stadler, PhD Candidate in Anthropology, University at
Buffalo


12:45 pm to 2:00 pm Lunch


2:00 pm - 4:00 pm Panel 3: Land

Chair: TBA (University at Buffalo)


“Administrative and Affective Boundaries: The Properties of Territory in
Nepal’s State of Transformation,” Sara Shneiderman, Assistant Professor,
Department of Anthropology and the Institute of Asian Research, University
of British Columbia (UBC)

“Ethnicity and Land in a Time of Urbanization: The Newar Jyāpu of Kirtipur
and the Case of Plot #7,” Andrew Nelson, Assistant Professor of
Anthropology, University of North Texas

“Politics of Difference and Claiming of Territorial Boundaries:  A Case
Study of the Limbuwan's Identity Politics in the Eastern Himalaya,” Dambar
Chemjong, PhD Candidate in Anthropology, Cornell University
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