Semiotic Sovereignties in Asia: Indigenous and National Strategies

A lecture by Dr Magnus Pharao Hansen (University of Copenhagen) organised by the Trinity Centre for Asian Studies.

The lecture applies the concept of “semiotic sovereignty” to understand the political dynamics of language and semiotic systems in Asian countries, looking at the cultural and political dynamics between nation states and various indigenous minority groups. The Asian cases are contrasted with cases in Mexico and Europe, focusing on how states construct semiotic hegemonies, while minority public spheres resist such hegemonies through strategies of stealth or proliferation of indigenous signs.

About the speaker:
Magnus Pharao Hansen is a linguistic anthropologist specializing in the study of Indigenous languages of Mexico; he studies both the sociopolitical contexts of languages spoken today and the historical process through which they developed before and after colonization. He is currently Associate Professor in Mesoamerican Studies at the University of Copenhagen. He is PI of the ERC funded research project SUAHIST, which studies the history of Uto-Aztecan languages in Mexico, through a combination of language documentation and comparative historical linguistics. He is author of the 2024 book Nahuatl Nation: Language Revitalization and Semiotic Sovereignty in Indigenous Mexico published by Oxford University Press.

Please let us know if you have any access requirements, such as ISL/English interpreting, so that we can facilitate you in attending this event. Contact: pengl@tcd.ie