The United Nations declared 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages. This celebration has become an opportunity to talk about the possibilities of supporting and recognizing Indigenous languages.

For this particular presentation, we will focus on the case of Quechua. With nearly eight million speakers, Quechua is the most widely spoken Indigenous language of the Americas; however, UNESCO and other organizations recognize it as an endangered language. Different initiatives are promoting the Quechua Language and Andean culture within the US academic sphere, and therefore, allowing us to highlight points of view that have been forgotten or overlooked. There are risks in this process as well. We will discuss the importance of Indigenous language planning and revitalization, and how these initiatives can collaborate in the promotion of a more diverse education system.

 The talk will be followed by a Quechua interactive workshop.

Américo Mendoza–Mori teaches Quechua and Spanish at the University of Pennsylvania, where he designed the Quechua Language Program. His research on Andean Culture, Quechua language, and cultural policies has been featured at major institutions such as the United Nations and the national media. Prof. Mendoza-Mori has collaborated actively with academic and community-based organizations in Peru, Bolivia, and the United States. He is the co-editor of the book Panel A-L: Reflexiones sobre literatura y discursos de América Latina.

The event is organized by the Latin American Graduate Student Association at Penn State and it is funded by the University Park Allocation Committee funds.

The event is free and open to all University Park State College community.

For questions please contact cjc41@psu.edu

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