Projects

Language & Democracy

In the field of education, language is the basis for any kind of work. Nevertheless, the use of this tool for communication is rarely questioned. But how does language impact on one´s personal identity? How does it connect with individual tradition and biography? Who can speak up better, whose voices are directly or indirectly suppressed when decisions are being made? What links are there between the use of language and conflicts, power and human rights? The working group has taken up these questions that had arisen in the context of being an international network with English as the working language.

As a result of our work, the handbook The Power of Language has been published in order to tackle these issues hands-on. The publication offers background information and a number of activities on identity, culture, power, and conflict in connection with language. Workshop models show how a trainer can sensitize a group to interactively address power and language. Thus, any workshop on civic education can be supplemented and enriched by addressing this important dimension. Furthermore, the handbook presents information on the language situation in the member countries of the network and offers further reading. It is a book from practitioners for practitioners working in the educational context.

Articles written within the framework of this project:

	Dimensions and Meanings of Language Munich, April 1999
	Inequality Due to Assymetric Linguistic Skills Belfast, August 1999
	The Power of Language - the Language of Power Kreisau, February 2000
	Body Language, Power & Democracy Wendgräben, August/September 2000
	Editing of the Publication "The Power of Language" München, March 2001
	Presentation of the Publication "The Power of Language" Strasbourg, August 2001