Languages and literacies are intertwined with power. They shape who is heard, who has access and who is left behind. They offer people tools to participate in the worlds surrounding them, but simultaneously prescript the way these worlds can be understood and organised. In our fundamentally multilingual and information-driven society, people need abilities to actively analyse, question and challenge representations and ideas conveyed by a diversity of languages and text types. These challenges are particularly pressing in a period of decreasing literacy skills among young generations and rapidly developing large language models. They ask for fundamental interdisciplinary reflections on how languages, literatures and literacies function, as well as for new creative solutions in which researchers and societal partners join forces.

‘Empowering Language’ offers an interdisciplinary platform to integrate research, education and societal initiatives aimed at  understanding the powerful and empowering functions of languages, literatures and literacies.

Research themes

Teaching Critical Literacy (language)

Critical literacy is the ability to actively analyze, question and challenge texts and media utterances. It enables people to uncover prejudice and power dynamics, and to promote inclusivity and equality. Fostering critical literacy is essential in a society that is fundamentally information-driven, and is faced by decreasing literacy skills among young generations and rapidly developing large language models. Teaching Critical Literacy’ offers an interdisciplinary platform to integrate research, education and societal initiatives aimed at fostering critical literacy skills in education and society.

Equal voices (emotion, politics)

Language and texts reflect structures of power and inequality. Who has the possibility to speak, verbally or in writing, and who doesn't? Does that depend on the genre or the audience someone chooses? Is this related to the language someone uses, and to their gender, cultural background, or socio-economic circumstances? ‘Equal Voices’ unites language and literature researchers who aim to understand how forms of language suppress voices, and simultaneously can be used to spur equality and to offer space to voices that were previously ignored.

Multilingualism

Critical literacy is closely tied to multilingualism. Multilingualism instills a deep sense of cultural sensitivity. Multilingual individuals are exposed to diverse worldviews embedded within different languages. Each language carries its own cultural assumptions, historical narratives, and ideological framing. This allows us to access diverse perspectives and critically analyze texts across different languages, helping us to recognize biases, power structures, and cultural influences more effectively.