Högre seminarium: Luke Holmes

This talk will examine the exhaustion and potentiality brought about by processes of ‘internationalisation’ in university life in Sweden. In an era of increased global mobility and intercultural exchange, it is important to understand how universities are adapting to accommodate the needs and desires of increasingly diverse staff and student bodies. The focus of the talk will be on the discursive practices of various university actors, including researchers, teachers, and administrators. It will analyse the participants’ representations and interactions in what I call ‘ethical events’. Such events, inspired by philosopher Emmanuel Levinas, are defined as interactions involving that which is not known, normative, or ordinarily visible, but for which all involved are called upon to take responsibility. The talk will present two distinct but inter-related studies that focus on the social and linguistic dynamics of university life in Sweden.

Study 1 examines the representations and practices of research and teaching staff in relation to what is identified as a dual monolingual language policy that prevails in Sweden. Study 2 uses a Derridean notion of hospitality to show the critical significance of the interactional approach taken by administrators in an internationalising department. The results of the studies highlight the challenges and potential for ethical becoming and improved sociality in an internationalizing university.

The main contribution of this research is to shed light on the complexities of internationalising university life in Sweden, and the ways in which various actors are attempting to navigate these challenges. The talk will provide new insights into the critical role that ‘ethical events’ play in shaping the sociolinguistic landscape of universities, and the ways in which they might be responded to in order to work towards improved sociality and international academic practice.