Førdekonferansen 2025 - Language at stake
PROGRAM
At 09.30 Registration and coffee
10:00 Welcome
At 10:10 Language at stake – an opening
Janne Stigen Drangsholt opens the conference with reflections on the power of language, change, and how it shapes our understanding of the world.
10:20 Grethe Fatima Syéd: Language and truth in today's society
"Truth is a moving army of metaphors," said Friedrich Nietzsche. That it is linguistic and constantly changing is at least certain. Grethe Fatima Syéd is a literary scholar, but has engaged in debates far beyond what exists between two covers – about everything from representation and metoo to the beggar issue and abortion, often with a sharp eye on the role of language. This engagement resulted in 2021 in the book What do we talk about when we talk about abortion (together with Kjersti Sandvik), which, among other things, examines what kind of language we use when we talk about abortion. In this post, she will delve into rhetoric and language in today's society.
10:45 Panel discussion: From paper to screen – a changing language
In this conversation , Kirsti Lunde, Sivert Nesbø and Kjersti Håland discuss how language is evolving in the face of new media, from traditional texts to digital platforms. The conversation will particularly focus on young people and their language use, and how technology, artificial intelligence and social media are affecting the way they read, write and communicate.
11:15 a.m. Break
11:35 Marit Paasche: When art becomes art history
- a journey in language and power
In the book Sleep and Happiness. Norwegian Art and the Modern Breakthrough, Marit Paasche examines some of the intellectual constructs and mechanisms that underlie Norwegian art history as it is. Here she makes some brief observations, looking at the artistry of JC Dahl, Catharine H. Kølle, Aasta Hansteen and Christian Krohg.
12:00 Anna Kleiva and Ingrid Z. Aanestad: Words against genocide
Last year, a number of Norwegian poets and re-poets contributed to an outstanding volunteer effort in support of their Palestinian writing colleagues. My Tongue Protests Against Death is a collection of both contemporary and older poetry from Palestine, with all proceeds from the sale going to the humanitarian organization NORWAC. Two of the re-poets, Anna Kleiva and Ingrid Z. Aanestad, talk about the project and read from the book.
During a genocide, not only people are wiped out, but also their culture, institutions, communities and collective memory. Poets are among those who have been targeted since the start of Israel's war on Gaza. "My Tongue Protests Death" presents a large selection of poems written by Palestinians, both dead and living, living in Palestine and in the diaspora.
12:25 Lunch
At 13.25 Manu Théron: A multilingual France
Musician and writer Mánu Théron explores how French language policy has been characterized by centralization and monolingualism, and how art and culture are used as tools to challenge these structures. Through Occitan vocal art, he sees how language and music can be both a source of identity and a way of keeping alive a polyphonic cultural heritage.
This section is in English.
1:50 PM Musical performance with Manu Theron and Damien Toumi
in Duò Lavoà Lapò.
2:00 PM Solrun Toft Iversen: Language, theater and identity
When Den Nationale Scene's foundation stone was laid, it was on a foundation of almost sixty years of work for identity and language through the performing arts. Later, we got a Nynorsk-language national theater and a Sami one. Language is management of who we are. It can reflect a complex community and be defining for an individual. Throughout Norwegian theater history, we see various branches and phases of this management. What happens in the meeting between performing arts and language management? What tendencies can we trace and how do we work with language in the theater institution?
2:25 p.m. Break
2:45 PM Conversation: Musicality in language – art, communication and knowledge
Language has its own rhythm and musicality that influences the way we communicate and understand the world. Janne Stigen Drangsholt in conversation with Grete Fatima Syed and Camilla Granlien , explores the relationship between language, art and the humanities. How to communicate through poetry, and how to communicate through wordless art forms?
At 3:15 p.m. Language at stake – final reflections
Janne Stigen Drangsholt will round off the conference by tying together the threads from the day, highlighting key points from the introductions and discussions, and opening up for further reflection on the role of language in society.
3:30 p.m. End