March 7. 12pm. Higher Education Researchers Workgroup Meeting
Speaker: Lærke Cecilie Anbert
Title: "'No one knows the ‘right language’, we are all constantly talking about it” Language work and social justice at UC Berkeley
Abstract: Student activists at UC Ber“keley, continuously engage in language negotiations in an effort to use the most considerate words in a given context. Similar to current global movements, these students are concerned about social (in)justices in the university's practices. They advocate for increased attention to diversity and inclusion, urging their peers, faculty, and administration to prioritize these values. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in 2020-22, I examine students' engagement with language and social change at UC Berkeley. I show how an attention to language use, for students at UC Berkeley, can be understood as a tool to change the world.
In this context, the meticulous use of language becomes a guiding practice for activist students as they strive to contribute to greater social justice, recognizing that achieving "the right language" is an ongoing process. Informed by anthropological perspectives on ordinary ethics (Lambek 2010; 2015; 2021), I argue that the students' language work involves both ethical self-reflection and an openness towards others. This openness is created by cultivating a humble and responsive attitude, acknowledging one's own and others' fallibility, while emphasizing that the intent and approach to language use align with the overarching goal of advancing social justice.
Bio:
Lærke Cecilie Anbert is a PhD Candidate from Aarhus University, Denmark. She holds an MSc in Anthropology from the University of Copenhagen, and an MSc in Gender Studies from London School of Economics and Social Sciences. Currently she is researching social justice student activism at UC Berkeley, calls to diversity and inclusion at the university, and students' engagement to address past injustices at the campus and beyond.
To participate in the Higher Education Researchers Workgroup meetings, please contact Anne MacLachlan (maclach@berkeley.edu) or Shanshan Jiang-Brittan (shanshan0233@berkeley.edu).
March 15. 10:30am. Organizing and Fighting Attacks on University Autonomy and Academic Freedom
Most markedly in Florida and Texas, but now in many other states across the country, legislation aims to restrict what can be taught in universities, what topics and issues can be the subject of research or campus programming, and what analyses of history and social conflict are permissible to discuss.
In the face of this national attack on academic freedom and university autonomy, how might we better respond? How might university leadership, faculty, staff, and students organize and fight back against the multiple right-wing attacks on university curricula, programs and services?
Many university leaders feel constrained by long traditions of non-partisanship, the fear of alienating legislative leaders, and stepping into political issues fraught with conflict. But if the threat to universities is existential, can we remain silent? How might we honor non-partisanship and yet respond to partisan attacks? And, what works? And what might we do in states where we do not face immediate threat, but want to help our colleagues elsewhere?
PEN America has documented the national attacks, and the multiple responses. And many faculty and administrators are seeking new ways of mobilizing support for academic freedom. Our panel will bring together scholars and leaders who are active in national initiatives to speak out, organize, and respond to legislative attacks on academic freedom.
Speakers
- Jeremy Young, Director of PEN America's "Freedom to Learn" Project
- Richard Guarasci, President Emeritus, Wagner College
- Johnnella Butler, Provost Emerita, Spelman College
Moderator
- Brian Murphy, President Emeritus, De Anza College