The Linguistic Anthropology Working Group

LAWG Images

Founded in 2005, the Linguistic Anthropology Working Group (LAWG) aims to bring together students, faculty members, post-docs, and visiting scholars who share an interest in the study of language as a cultural resource and speaking as a cultural practice in lived contexts. As a subdiscipline within anthropology and an interdisciplinary field in its own right, linguistic anthropology incorporates theoretical and methodological perspectives from sociocultural anthropology, linguistics, psychology, rhetoric, neuroscience, comparative literature, women’s and area studies, and education. Our current membership includes students and faculty members from the Anthropology, Linguistics, and Education departments, creating a sustained conversation that draws on intellectually diverse, cross-disciplinary perspectives.

LAWG coordinates 6-7 workshop lectures during the academic year (3-4 per semester). In a series of workshops, invited speakers present original research pertaining to linguistic anthropology; this may be recently published work or work-in-progress. Prior to the guest talks, the group meets to discuss a recent publication of the guest speaker, a publication that is requested or suggested. By providing an intellectual and collegial forum for the exchange of ideas, LAWG also offers a space in which professors and students alike can try out new ideas, receive feedback, and engage in stimulating conversation without the pressures of a more formal conference or symposium setting. In general, the invited speaker lectures for about an hour, often responding to questions throughout his or her presentation, followed by a period of general discussion that has proven to be engaging, inquisitive, and collaborative.