[Round Table Panel 2017] "Language rights for indigenous and tribal peoples"

Language Policy and Revitalization of Indigenous Languages in Peru
by Prof Liliana Sánchez

Indigenous languages across the world continue to have a minoritized status despite efforts from indigenous communities, regional and in some cases even national governments to secure policies and practices to turn around this status. The international labour organisation through convention 169 (1989) protects the rights of tribal and indigenous peoples. In Latin America, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile,
Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela have ratified this convention and are legally bound to respect the rights conferred by it to indigenous peoples. These include the rights to the full realization of their cultural rights of which language is a vital component. In this round table, we will engage in a discussion about the current state of indigenous languages, language policies, maintenance and revitalization efforts in two Latin American countries, Brazil and Peru, as well as in Australia and China. Our goal is to present different outlooks on language policies and practices affecting indigenous populations in these regions from an international perspective.

Biography:
Prof Liliana Sánchez, Rutgers University.
Liliana Sánchez is a Professor of Spanish and has worked as a professional consultant for Bilingual Intercultural Education for the Peruvian government and the German Cooperation Agency (GTZ). Her publications include Bilingualism in the Spanish-speaking world (Austin, Blume and Sánchez, 2015), Quechua-Spanish Bilingualism (Sánchez 2003), and work on Peruvian indigenous languages in contact with Amazonian and Andean Spanish (Mayer and Sánchez 2016, in press).