Date: 06-Oct-2006
From: Oriol Ampuero <cdocciemen.cat>
Subject: 5th Mercator International Symposium: Linguistic Rights as a Social Inclusion Factor
5th Mercator International Symposium: Linguistic Rights as a Social Inclusion Factor
Date: 19-Oct-2006 - 21-Oct-2006
Location: Barcelona (Catalonia), Spain
Contact: Oriol Ampuero
Contact Email: < click here to access email >
Meeting URL: http://www.ciemen.org/mercator/Menu_nou/index.cfm?lg=gb
Linguistic Field(s): Sociolinguistics
Meeting Description:
V Mercator Internacional Symposium on Minority Languages
“Linguistic Rights as a Social Inclusion Factor ”19 - 21 October 2006Institut d'Estudis Catalans (IEC), BarcelonaOrganizer: Mercator-Legislation, CIEMEN (Barcelona, Catalonia)
Presentation
OverviewEurope has always been a multilingual land. This fact has been accentuated in recent decades by the steady arrival and settlement on the continent by non-Europeans who have brought their languages with them. The current linguistic reality in Europe is, therefore, richer and more complex than ever. The European Union -a political, economic and cultural work in progress which has as one of its goals to put into practice the democratic principle of uniting Europeans in respect for diversity- lives fully immersed in this reality. In the process of its construction, the European Union has to address issues as important as those related to immigration and the social inclusion of immigrants from other continents, who represent in many areas a significant percentage of the total population.
The languages spoken in the European Union today -those traditionally considered European and those brought with immigration- are one of the keys to making possible such 'union in diversity' of all citizens, groups, communities, and peoples that live together in Europe. To encourage such harmony, we must ask ourselves which kind of multilingualism should the European Union put into practice now and in the future. At the same time, it raises the question of how the linguistic rights of immigrants and of receiving communities can be regulated and guaranteed and, more specifically, how the exercise of these rights could stimulate the social inclusion of newcomers who settle among minoritized linguistic communities that share their space with majority or dominant languages.
SymposiumThe V Mercator International Symposium will critically analyse the issues under consideration, taking as an indispensable departure point the respect for the rights of everyone, and will emphasize the role of language as a factor of inclusion in European Union societies with minoritized languages.The Symposium will also present a series of practice cases for balancing individual rights and the collective rights of speakers of both the languages of immigration and the minoritized languages within the European Union. Moreover, it intends to gather proposals that encourage the social cohesion of the receiving communities while consolidating, at the same time, non-discriminatory linguistic diversity. In such proposals, emphasis will be placed on the legislative aspects that may contribute to the advancement of linguistic rights.
Thursday, 19 (AFTERNOON)
2:30 pm Registration & accreditation
Opening
3:30 pm Welcome Aureli Argemí, President of CIEMEN & Director of Mercator Linguistic Rights and Legislation
Representative of the Government of Catalonia
Jacques Delmoly, Head of Unit, Multilingualism Policy, Directorate General for Education and Culture, European Commission
4:15 pm Coffee Break
Opening Session
4:30 pm Lecture Immigrants, National Minorities, and Language Rights: Towards an Acceptable Normative Theory Alan Patten, Princeton University, New Jersey, USA Chaired by: Isidor Marí, Open University of Catalonia (UOC)
5:15 pm Question time
5:30 pm Lecture A European Approach. Language, Nation, Immigration and Citizenship: Processes of Change, Political Innovation and Social Inclusion Ricard Zapata, Pompeu Fabra University, Catalonia Chaired by: Xavier Aragall, European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed)
6:00 pm Question time
6:15 pm LECTURE Linguistic Policy in the EU: Discourses of Inclusion/Exclusion Máiréad Nic Craith University of Ulster, Northen Ireland Chaired by: Agustí Colomines, LINGUAPAX
6:45-7:00 pm Question time
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20 (MORNING) THEME I: LEGISLATION
Chaired by: Bernat Joan i Marí, Member of the European Parliament for Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, Greens/ EFA Group
9:00 am LECTURE Can Laws Change Realities? Some Thoughts on the Basis of the Experience Under the Framework Convention on National Minorities Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark, Uppsala University
9:30 am Question time
9:45 am Case Study I: The European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages as a Instrument for Social Cohesion: The Case of Immigration in Catalonia Santi J. Castellà, Rovira Virgili University, Catalonia
10:00 am Case Study II: Immigration and Language Diversity: New Challenges for Human Rights Eduardo J. Ruiz Vieytez, Pedro Arrupe Institut of Human Rights, Deusto University de Deusto, Basque Country
10:15 am Question time
10:30 am COFFEE BREAK
THEME II: EDUCATION
Chaired by: Durk Gorter, Mercator Education, Friesland
11:00 am LECTURE Social Cohesion and Linguistic Rights: National Minority Languages, Immigration Languages and State Languages Kutlay Yagmur and Guus Extra, Tilburg University, Netherlands
12:00 am Question time
12:15 am Case study I: The Multilingual Cities Project - Göteborg, Sweden, one of six EU cities Lilian Nygren, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
12:30 am Case study II: The Normalisation of Basque in a Diverse Context. Educational Guide of the Sakana Region. The immersion in Basque, the Best Option Mikel Galartza, member of the Basque Language Board in the County Council of Sakana, Navarre
12:45 pm Question time
13:00-15:00 pm LUNCH
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20 (AFTERNOON) THEME III: ECONOMY, EMPLOYMENT & TRADE
Chaired by: Carles Bertran, Center Association for the Orientation, Training and Insertion for Foreign Workers (CITE - CONC), Catalonia
3.00 pm LECTURE The value of non-dominant languages François Grin, University of Geneva, Switzerland
3:30 pm Question time
3:45 pm Case Study I: Linguistic Rights of the Romany in Slovakia as a Constitutional and Policy Challenge Michal Vašečka, Masaryk University, Czech Republic
4:00 pm Case study II: Minority Language and Integration Issues in Latvia and The Baltic States Andrejs Veisbergs, University of Latvia, Latvia
4:15 pm Question time
4:30 pm COFFEE BREAK
THEME IV: LEISURE, SPORTS, CULTURE & MEDIA
Chaired by: Elin Haf, Mercator Media, Wales
5:00 pm LECTURE Models of Social and Linguistic Cohesion Through Cultural and Leisure Activities Steve Morris, University of Wales, Swansea, Wales
5:30 pm Question time
5:45 pm Case study I: Language Learning and Integration Activities. An Example of Linguistic Welcoming Jordi Font Anton, Consortium for the Language Normalisation (CpNL), Catalonia
6:00 pm Case study II: ''Quedem?'' Leisure, Language and Social Cohesion in Catalonia Eunice Romero, Òmnium Cultural, Catalonia
6:15 pm Case study III: Radio Svobodni, Free Radio Agora as a Bridge Between Cultures Angelika Hödl, Radio Agora, Carinthia
6:30-6:45 pm Question time
SATURDAY, 21 (MORNING) HEALTH CARE
Chaired by: Carme Oller, General Directorate of Planning and Evaluation, Department of Health of the Generalitat of Catalonia
9:00 am Language Barriers and Acces Difficulties in the Health Services Tona Lizana, Action Plan on Immigration, General Directorate of Planning and Evaluation, Department of Health of the Generalitat of Catalonia
9:30 am Question time
9:45 am Case Study I: Health, Newcomers and Language Barriers Sid Ahmed Baba, Association Health and Family, Barcelona, Catalonia Tai Mooi Ho Wong, Nephrology Service, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Catalonia
10:05 am Case Study II: Health Care in the Own Language Jacob Als Thomsen, Copenhagen University, Denmark
10:20 am Question time
10:35 am COFFEE BREAK
CLOSING SESSION
11:00 am Summary & Conclusions Chaired by: Maite Puigdevall, Co-ordinator of Mercator Linguistic Rights and Legislation Rapporteur: Colin H. Williams. Cardiff University, Wales
12:30 pm Farewell Speeches Aureli Argemí, President of CIEMEN & Director of Mercator Linguistic Rights and Legislation, Catalonia Antoni Mir, Director of Linguamón - House of Languages, Catalonia
13:00 pm End of Symposium
Registration
Attendance at the Symposium is free of charge. If you wish to register, fill up the registration form (Catalan, English, Spanish).
Information on Hotels in Barcelona: In this document (Word format) you will information on hotels in Barcelona and other useful web links.
Organisation
Escarré International Centre For Ethnic Minorities and Nations (CIEMEN) - Mercator Programme With the sponsoring of: The European Commission and Linguamón - The House of Languages
Symposium's Venue Prat de la Riba's Room Institut d'Estudis Catalans C/ del Carme, 47 08001 - Barcelona
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