Cultural Studies Cookbook Linguists

Cookbook Collaborators:
Caroline Fors
Martha Levenson
Holly Winters

Our collective project illustrates the joys and challenges faced by researchers working with non-English speakers, or English as a second language speakers, and the way in which language plays a key role in the production and circulation of meaning. Conducting research with non-English speakers requires a self-reflective awareness of our own cultural values and judgments, a thoughtful translation of cultural codes, and a careful process of negotiation over meaning.

Our work also addresses the issue of reflexivity. Each of us speaks at least two languages. Working in another language influences thought process, identity construction, placement of ourselves as researchers in the larger context of the world, and our knowledge and insight into other cultures. All of these in turn have bearing on reflexivity, a critical point in research.

This blog is also intended to help academics and cultural practitioners working with non-English speakers, or English as a second language speakers, to become more conscious of the challenges involved in such a research process. The artifacts represented, and the stories attached to them, illustrate the ways in which spaces and
traditions are conceptualized as unique, local, or as national identities.

The MACS program emphasizes collaboration and as such, has given us many opportunities to work in groups and to practice such an approach in our classes. As a result, each one of us strives to use a collaborative approach in our capstone project. The readings by scholars such as Don Mitchell, Doreen Massey, and Stuart Hall have been particularly useful in engaging our reflexivity in terms of our capstone project, and have also very relevant within the framework of this collaboration. We would like to bring in others who speak more languages and would like to invite anyone who has an interest in languages to participate.

Martha’s work will continue in schools and at the Nordic Heritage Museum. As a docent, she uses language facility as a way to portray the terror of immigrants at Ellis Island. In working with the outreach trunks at the Museum, the Nordic words are used in appropriate places, and translations given, so that students can see how language goes with culture. She hopes to do more language study, particularly in Swedish, as part of her doctoral work, and eventually, to do some research on informal learning in Sweden.

This project intersects with Caroline’s future work as she intends to continue contributing to the well-being of communities located in the Global South. Language barriers, the negotiation over meaning, and representation will be an ongoing process in her future work.

Holly’s future work includes developing a language school/community center that will feature bilingual education programs for Latino cultures and English speakers who wish to learn Spanish, along with providing a resource center and gathering space for tutoring, cultural events, open mic, coffee and other neighborhood activities. The acquisition of another language must be accompanied by an application for it, and a crucial aspect of her capstone will be to clearly demonstrate the importance of also understanding the culture from which the language originates.