Linguistic diversity is by no means a feature limited to the post-modern world, but an intrinsic aspect of the history of our contemporary societies. Therefore, in this conference, we want to move beyond a solely synchronic perspective on linguistic diversity by focusing on the history of multilingualism. The main goal of this two-day colloquium is to attempt a reconstruction of the ideas of multilingualism in different periods and contexts, including topics such as values attached to multilingualism or linguistic diversity, language attitudes, language ideologies etc. The invited speakers cover a very broad range of topics across time and cultural space, including the Graeco-Roman world, the Middle Ages, and topics from early to late modernity (colonialisation, standardisation, and the French Revolution, as well as the Third Reich and the Soviet Union):
– Ardis Butterfield, Yale University, USA
– Michèle Cohen, University of Richmond, London, UK
– Joseph Errington, Yale University, USA
– Dirk Geeraerts, University of Leuven, Belgium
– Christopher Hutton, University of Hong Kong
– Alexandra Mullen, University of Oxford, All Souls College, UK
– Aneta Pavlenko, Temple University, USA
– Pierre Swiggers, University of Leuven, Belgium

This diachronically broad approach will provide interesting insights into idiosyncratic constructs, but will also allow for the identification of recurrent topics across time and cultural space. It will give the opportunity for a critical reflection on contemporary ideas on multilingualism and linguistic diversity.