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University of Sydney convenes LCNAU Eighth Biennial Colloquium
19 December 2024
Exploring teaching and research in languages and cultures
From 27–29 November 2024, the Eighth Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities (LCNAU) Colloquium was hosted at the University of Sydney on the theme of 'Trans/Formation: research and education in languages and cultures'.
The colloquium opened with a Welcome to Country by the School of Education and Social Work’s Professor Lynette Riley (Chair of Aboriginal Education and Indigenous Studies) and Tracey Cameron (Gamilaraay Lecturer, Indigenous Studies) – setting the tone for an event focused on respect, collaboration and cultural exchange.
LCNAU President Professor John Hajek (University of Melbourne) and Head of School of Languages and Cultures Professor Yixu Lu delivered the opening address. A smoking ceremony led by Leanne King (Wollombi Cultural Centre) opened the second day of the colloquium and welcomed the participants.
Over three days, the colloquium provided a forum for scholars, practitioners, early career researchers and postgraduate students with intellectually stimulating discussions and valuable insights that inform future research and action in pedagogical practices.
More than 100 papers presented with over 170 participants in attendance, exploring diverse aspects of teaching and research in languages and cultures that addressed the vital role of multilingualism as well as complex challenges and opportunities in our rapidly changing world, particularly in the context of emerging technologies like AI.
Three keynote sessions explored interrelated themes that focused on the cultural, social, and economic significance of multilingualism at local, regional and global levels.
Professor Charles Forsdick (University of Cambridge) shared insights from his keynote, 'From Crisis to Transformation: Towards a UK National Languages Strategy', detailing efforts to reverse declining language enrolments in the UK while also highlighting the growing recognition of multilingualism in public life.
In an innovative multi-site and multi-vocal Indigenous presentation, ‘What every Australian should know about the patterned configurations of contemporary Indigenous multilingualism – and what these teach us about policy and practice’, Dr Denise Angelo (Australian National University), Jasmine Seymour (Western Sydney University), Josephine Lardy (Jilkminggan Community NT and Indigenous Literacy Foundation) and Carmel Ryan (Ltyentye Apurte Community and Catholic School) took the audience on an immersive journey through traditional languages – showcasing the rich linguistic diversity of First Nations communities in Australia from central Australia to the Western suburbs of Sydney and then the Northern Territory.
The panel laid out the complexity of the contemporary linguistic ecology of First Nations peoples and of their multilingual repertoires consisting of traditional languages, contact languages and Indigenous Englishes together with standard English.
Carmel Ryan delivered a talk in the traditional language of Arrernte; a video presentation in the Dharug language of Sydney was screened by Jasmine Seymour and Corina Norman (Dharug Ngurra Aboriginal Corporation), showcasing the multiple initiatives in which they engage to teach and give more impetus to a widespread use of Dharug; Josephine Lardy presented on some uses of a creole variety (Kriol) in the Jilkminggan Community in Northern Territory.
The audience had the opportunity to value the deep commitment of educators and community members engaged in the maintenance and revitalisation of Indigenous languages in light of challenges in funding and government policy.
Professor Claire Maree (University of Melbourne) delivered her talk, 'Disrupting Inequities: Diversity, Inclusion and Social Equity in Tertiary Language Education', addressing the inequities faced by LGBTQIA+ individuals in language classrooms – calling for curricula that reflect the cultural and socio-political realities of the languages we teach.
Drawing on her collaborative work at the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Arts, she advocated for queer-affirming and trans-affirming pedagogies, and argued for a more inclusive and flexible curriculum that incorporates cultural information and socio-political histories relevant to the language and culture being taught.
The colloquium also hosted the Australian Academy of the Humanities’ 2024 Triebel Lecture by Professor Emerita Emerita Alison Lewis FAHA (University of Melbourne). Her talk, 'Secret police files as life writing, or how the Stasi made writers into ‘enemies of the state’', drew on the approach of reading Stasi surveillance records as a form of life writing.
Through the cases of three prominent German intellectuals, Professor Emerita Lewis illustrated how the Stasi employed cultural techniques such as biography and portraiture not only to collect intelligence but also to shape the lives and identities of its "enemies of the state".
LCNAU is a network that brings together individuals, language programs, university structures and tertiary institutions. It aims to strengthen the tertiary languages sector in Australia through advocacy, collaboration, research and support.
The LCNAU Eighth Biennial Colloquium was convened by Professor Yixu Lu (Germanic Studies) and Associate Professor Antonia Rubino (Italian Studies), and with an organising committee which included Ms Tracey-Anne Cameron and Dr Susan Poetsch (Indigenous Studies), Professor Linda Tsung and Associate Professor Wei Wang (Chinese Studies), Associate Professor Novi Djenar (Indonesian Studies), Dr Clara Sitbon and Dr Carolyn Stott (French and Francophone Studies), Dr Timothy Amos and Yoko Yonezawa (Japanese Studies), Dr Benoit Berthelier (Korean Studies) and Dr Beatriz Carbajal Carrera (Spanish and Latin American Studies).