As part of a conference on ‘Languages of Internationalism’, hosted by the Reluctant Internationalists research group, Brigid O’Keefe (Brooklyn College) and Claire Shaw (University of Bristol) discuss the rise and fall of Esperanto in the early Soviet Union and international sign language during the Cold War. The panel, chaired by Humphrey Tonkin (University of Hartford), addresses how international these languages were.
‘Languages of Internationalism’ aimed to shed light on the centrality of language to people’s pursuit and experiences of internationalism. Language is at the heart of every international enterprise, but as the conference showed, it presents obstacles and dilemmas, as well as opportunities. Many of the papers emphasised frictions and tensions which emerged over the use of languages in international settings. Discussions showed how language could be a tool of communication, solidarity and unity, as well as a force of division and alienation. But the conference also made clear the centrality of language in the performance, experience and pursuit of internationalism.
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