Universität Wien

143071 SE Language, Politics and Development in Africa (2025S)

8.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 14 - Orientalistik, Afrikanistik, Indologie und Tibetologie
Prüfungsimmanente Lehrveranstaltung
Moodle
Mo 28.04. 11:00-13:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10

An/Abmeldung

Hinweis: Ihr Anmeldezeitpunkt innerhalb der Frist hat keine Auswirkungen auf die Platzvergabe (kein "first come, first served").

Details

max. 25 Teilnehmer*innen
Sprache: Englisch

Lehrende

Termine (iCal) - nächster Termin ist mit N markiert

  • Montag 03.03. 11:00 - 13:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Montag 10.03. 11:00 - 13:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Montag 17.03. 11:00 - 13:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Montag 24.03. 11:00 - 13:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Montag 31.03. 11:00 - 13:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Montag 07.04. 11:00 - 13:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Montag 05.05. 11:00 - 13:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Montag 12.05. 11:00 - 13:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Montag 19.05. 11:00 - 13:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Montag 26.05. 11:00 - 13:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Montag 02.06. 11:00 - 13:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Montag 16.06. 11:00 - 13:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Montag 23.06. 11:00 - 13:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Montag 30.06. 11:00 - 13:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10

Information

Ziele, Inhalte und Methode der Lehrveranstaltung

This course delves into the intricate relationship between language, politics, and development in post-colonial Africa, drawing from a rich blend of empirically grounded and theoretically informed studies across the continent. It offers critical perspectives on pressing issues such as language policy, planning, and the sociopolitical challenges faced by linguistically and ethnically diverse nation-states. In many African countries, the persistent use of former colonial languages in official domains creates barriers to inclusive communication, limiting meaningful engagement between educated elites and local communities while hindering grassroots participation in national development. The course provides a platform for students to explore the intersection of language, politics, and development, addressing topics such as political discourse, propaganda, political campaigns, ethno-politics, language planning, ethnicity and nationalism, language and globalization, and the role of language in development discourse and governance. It is structured around four interconnected themes: (i) Fundamental Concepts in Language and Politics (ii) The Language of Politics in Africa (iii) The Politics of Language in Africa (iv) Language and Development in Africa. Through these themes, students will critically examine how language shapes political agendas and outcomes, while exploring the reciprocal influence of political contexts on language practices. Drawing on diverse African case studies, the course equips students with analytical and critical thinking skills, enabling them to engage meaningfully with the sociopolitical and developmental complexities of language in Africa.

Course learning objectives

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Analyze the relationship between language, politics, and development in post-colonial Africa.
- Critically examine how language policies and planning impact sociopolitical and economic dynamics in linguistically diverse African nation-states.
- Investigate the challenges and implications of using former colonial languages in official functions and governance.
- Explore how language shapes political discourse, propaganda, campaigns, and ethno-politics in African contexts.
- Assess the role of language in fostering or hindering national development and grassroots participation.
- Understand the intersection between language, ethnicity, nationalism, and globalization in African political landscapes.
- Apply theoretical and empirical approaches to analyze African case studies on language and politics.
- Develop critical thinking and analytical skills to evaluate the sociopolitical complexities of language in Africa.

Course Format: The course will take place once a week, every Monday. It will involve lectures, discussions, debates, and presentations.
Mode of delivery: Lectures will be hybrid (in-person and/or online)

Art der Leistungskontrolle und erlaubte Hilfsmittel

Assessments:
15% Attendance and active participation
45% presentations and discussion (critically summarizing, reviewing, and raising important questions for discussion as well as making connections with contemporary issues)
40% A final term paper of 10-12 pages which will be the culmination of all that we discuss in class.

Note that a student’s work is evaluated in terms of factual accuracy, ability to apply concepts and tools to new situations and to make your connections, and ability to present materials with clarity, simplicity, and following professional and scholarly standards. This is not a highly difficult course to pass, but to get a high grade (e.g., 2 or 1), you need to demonstrate strong creative ability in this course, not just remember and understand the information presented in class.

Mindestanforderungen und Beurteilungsmaßstab

Course Requirements: There is no particular prerequisite for this course but a background in language politics and development discourse would be an advantage

Prüfungsstoff

All topics discussed in class are examinable!
See below a TENTATIVE outline of topics:

Course schedule: Subject to change.

PART I: Introduction to fundamental concepts
- Critical Political discourse Analysis
- Language and political ideology
- Political propaganda
- Political promises
PART II: Language of politics in Africa (selected articles)
- Language of hate and insults
- Ethno-politics
- Language and gender
- Political persuasion & deception
- Metaphorical language in politics
- More…
PART III: The politics of language in Africa (selected articles)
- Linguistic pluralism
- National language policies
- Sociocultural language use
- Language and national integration
- Multilingual education
- Many more…
PART IV: Language and development in Africa (selected articles)
- Ethnicity and nationalism
- Language in academic and political discourse
- Language and globalization
- Language planning
- Language in development communication
- Africa’s mother tongues and Africa’s future
- Many more…

Literatur

Obeng, S. G. (2020). Grammatical pragmatics: Language, power, and liberty in Ghanaian political discourse. Discourse & Society, 31(1), 85-105.
Ogone, J. O., & Orwenjo, D. O. (Eds.). (2020). Language and politics in Africa: Contemporary issues and critical perspectives. Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Joseph, J. (2009). Language and Politics. Edinburgh University Press.
Samuelson, B. L., & Freedman, S. W. (2010). Language policy, multilingual education, and power in Rwanda. Language policy, 9, 191-215.
Ssentanda, M. E., & Nakayiza, J. (2017). “Without English, There Is No Future”: The Case of Language Attitudes and Ideologies in Uganda. Sociolinguistics in African Contexts: Perspectives and Challenges, 107-126.
Williams, E. (2011). Language policy, politics and development in Africa. Dreams and realities: Developing countries and the English language, 39-56.
Wolff, H. E. (2016). Language and development in Africa: Perceptions, ideologies and challenges. Cambridge University Press.
Wolff, H. (Ed.). (2019). The Cambridge Handbook of African Linguistics (Cambridge Handbooks in Language and Linguistics). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781108283991

Zuordnung im Vorlesungsverzeichnis

SAS.SE.1
SAS.SE.2
SAS.GR

Letzte Änderung: Mi 19.02.2025 11:26