CONVERSACIONES INS/URGENTES: doing linguistics in contemporary reality

Interview with Virginia Unamuno

Abstract

The III international Encounter: derechos lingüísticos como derechos humanos en Latinoamérica. CONVERSACIONES INS/URGENTES took place on May 21, 22 and 23, 2024, at the Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades (FFyH) of the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC). This encounter “discusses the relationship between linguistic rights and human rights, between the right to speak and the right to a dignified life, the right to one's own speech and thought, the right to say and to do” (FFyH, 2024). Within this framework, our objective was to dialogue with various representatives of the field on the role of linguists, and on what it means to “do linguistics” in the current socio-political context. In this case, with Virginia Unamuno, since in Latin America –and in several places of the Western world– we are experiencing a moment of formation and solidification of new state projects associated with the liberal right, which are accompanied by complex ideological apparatuses and linguistic policies. This interview was conducted during the meeting, held in person, and deals with “the challenge of living in a habitable world where the battle for language is recognized as a battle for rights” (FFyH, 2024).