" Don't call me names! Language, Politics, and Identity " (original) (raw)

In this proseminar, we will deal with discriminatory language use. We will focus on the linguistic manifestation, production and reproduction of discrimination of diverse identity categories in public and private discourse. The identity categories we examine will cover a broad range from race/ethnicity to nationality and place of origin, religion, sex/gender, sexuality, job/profession, ability, physical features, class, and so on. We will deal with the discursive construction of identities, both from the outside as labeling and from within, i.e. as self-definition. We will look at discriminatory, derogatory, and offensive labelling in the form of slurs, name-calling, and discriminatory language use, and then move on to finding ways of avoiding discriminatory terms and structures. We will discover how silence is created on some issues, and then we will examine and elaborate on strategies ad guidelines on how to finally overcome these deficits by applying inclusive, fair language.