Language and Identity Workshop II (Call for Papers)

Workshop Series: Language and Identity

The nature of interaction between language and identity is a central topic in today’s academic discourse in numerous fields, including linguistics, psychology, education, media, and political science. The complexity and urgency of the topic has resulted in a number of approaches and methodologies aimed at the detection and investigation of features of identity, ranging from approaches informed by sociolinguistics and anthropology to those rooted in developmental and social psychology. Today, while simultaneously exploring the particularities of mechanisms of identity expression in and through language, linguistics identity research also informs approaches to multicultural education, language policy, and language in the workplace.

In this workshop series, we focus on building common ground between various approaches to identity and language, forming a cross-disciplinary view on such fundamental issues as levels of identity (personal, relational, or collective), identity stability and fluidity, the broader nature of identity (discovered or constructed), and identity and language in the context of digitization and globalization. These workshops aim to present a diachronic, multidisciplinary view on approaches to language and identity in a variety of linguistic contexts and traditions. We also welcome researchers investigating the interaction between language and identity from the perspectives of media, political science, psychology, healthcare, and history.

The workshop series opens with an event aimed at discussing the fundamentals of language and identity from a theoretical perspective. They will be followed by workshops focusing on the interaction between language and identity in media and communication, education policy, and linguistic landscape.

Each workshop will open with a keynote lecture followed by a discussion.  Each workshop aims to discuss several short papers on the topic.

Language and Identity Workshop II.  Language in the Media: Representation and Consumption

Place: Tokyo College, the University of Tokyo (online)

Time: Wednesday, 1 March 2023, 15:00 - 17:30JST

Language: English is the main language of the workshop (Japanese translation is provided for the keynote)

Keynote: Dr. HIRAMOTO Mie (National University of Singapore), "Exploring the Changing Perceptions of Masculinity in Asia and Beyond through the Lens of Sociolinguistics"

Presentation & Abstract: for a short 15 min presentation, please submit 250-words abstracts in English (excluding references)

In this workshop, we discuss the role of media in manifesting, representing, and reifying identities, and what role language plays in this relationship. We explore the role of genre, imagined audience, and media creator in language use, and what implications media consumption has for our own perceptions of identity and belonging. 

Topics that are particularly welcome:

• Relationships between language and sociocultural stereotypes
• Fictionalized and mediatized language varieties
• Genre, style, and medium
• Language, identity, and fan practices

Important dates:

January 16 Call for papers opens

February 10 Call for papers closes

February 20 Notification of acceptance

March 1 Workshop

How to Submit: Please submit your abstract in PDF before 17:00 JST February 10 to  tokyo.college.event@tc.u-tokyo.ac.jp with Language and Identity Workshop in the subject field.