Discourse & Identity

People use language every day to signal and negotiate their individual identities in conversations with other people. Language is also crucial in the forming of group identities and norms, which may align or come into conflict with individual identities. But how exactly do we establish and negotiate our identities through language? This class will look at the mechanics of identity construction using theoretical tools from pragmatics and discourse analysis.  We will examine such axes of identity as gender, sexuality, religion, race and ethnicity, disability and neurodiverity, migration status, and more. This course has an international focus, and we will discuss how identities are constructed in multiple languages, with a special focus on Easter Europe, as well as on Jewish contexts around the world