4.4: Language and Cultural Revitalization. Challenges of Engaged Humanities
Practical revitalization efforts – social, educational, and linguistic diversity support campaigns carried out jointly with members of local communities – have been a core mission of the team and collaborators of the Center for Research and Practice in Cultural Continuity for nearly 15 years. Over 30 communities from 10 countries across 5 continents have participated in these projects, totaling more than 20,000 people. Participation in various educational and media activities aimed at shaping positive linguistic attitudes and changing social perceptions of minority languages is estimated at over 100,000 people.
The primary partners in these efforts include Lemkos, Kashubians, Silesians, Wilamowians, and Ukrainians in Poland; Hutsuls in Ukraine; Latgalians in Latvia; Basques and Catalans in Spain; residents of Calabria in Italy; Nahua, Otomi, Tenek, and Totonac peoples in Mexico; Murui-Muina, Ocaina, Nonuya, Bora, Muinane, and Andoke in Colombia; as well as numerous communities in Thailand, Vanuatu, and South Africa.
Knowledge co-produced with local communities facilitates effective planning of revitalization efforts. The team’s research has demonstrated that speaking indigenous languages – even those highly endangered – has a beneficial impact on the health and well-being of their users. The results of this collaborative work include the emergence of new speakers and new domains for using endangered languages, their increased presence and visibility in public spaces and education, the creation of participatory artistic, scientific, and socio-educational projects, as well as the launch of concrete language revitalization programs. This leads to increased agency for marginalized groups while positively influencing the awareness and attitudes of society at large. For example, a strategy was successfully developed and implemented to introduce the Nahuatl language into the healthcare system in San Miguel Tenango, Mexico. The foundation of this work is the long-term, reflexive development of participatory and decolonial paradigms based on building a subject-based relationship with the communities.
The Center’s team and its collaborators have released dozens of publications, including literary works, teaching materials, and scholarly papers in indigenous and minority languages. Through the commitment of the communities and their own experts, dozens of workshops and educational and cultural events promoting linguistic diversity have been held. A vital initiative was also the support of networking among speakers of endangered languages from around the world, which resulted in the emergence of a “community of practice” oriented toward supporting linguistic diversity.
The Rebirth of the Wilamowian Language
Over the last dozen years, language revitalization in Wilamowice has become a global success story. The determination of the community and its multi-level cooperation with engaged researchers resulted in the rebirth of the Wymysorys language (wymysiöeryś). The number of new speakers continues to grow, expanding the spaces where the Wilamowian language is present. Since 2012, the youth “re-theatricalization” group Ufa fisa has been performing in Wilamowian, and in 2024 – thanks to Norway Grants and in cooperation with the Center – the Museum of Wilamowian Culture was opened in Wilamowice as an innovative space for cultural and linguistic revitalization. Joint projects have contributed to an increase in residents’ cultural awareness and to the processing of historical trauma related to language-based persecution. The museum has become a catalyst for positive social change, allowing residents to redefine their identity and place within the multicultural landscape of contemporary Poland.
↑ FROM THE TOP. 1 Locations of the communities participating in the activities of the Center for Research and Practice in Cultural Continuity (graphic: J. Maryniak) 2 Selected publications in indigenous and minority languages published as part of participatory actions and research with communities (photo: J. Maryniak)
↓ Wilamowians – Justyna Majerska-Sznajder and Tymoteusz Król – during activities in the indigenous community of San Miguel Tenango in Mexico (source: ENGHUM Project, University of Warsaw)