Quechua Language and its Renaissance in the Modern Andean World

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC VIRTUALLY | Less than two decades ago, Quechua, an Andean language spoken by millions, was invisible to the media. Suffering from discrimination and threatened by the official use of Spanish, Quechua was considered, at best, part of a regional Andean identity, and at worst, a burden that kept Andean people away from progress. However, the last decade has brought major changes for Quechua and its speakers. Now TV programs broadcast in Quechua; there is increased demand for Quechua courses in Peru and abroad; Quechua publications are gaining momentum; and politicians are using Quechua to mobilize not just traditional rural population, but their descendants in urban centers. We will examine the characteristics, causes, and consequences of this Quechua Renaissance in the Modern Andean World.

Carlos Molina-Vital is a Peruvian linguist and language teacher. He is responsible for the Quechua Language Program at the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He has turned his attention to the syntax and semantics of in different Quechua languages since 2009. His fieldwork has taken him to Ancash, Cuzco, and Ayacucho in the Peruvian Andes. He directs the Quechua Innovation and Teaching Initiative (QINTI), a collaborative project aiming to create open-access Quechua materials.

Location: Members of the Bennington College community (students, faculty, and staff) are invited to attend this talk in person in the CAPA Symposium. Anyone else who wishes to attend is invited to do so virtually using the Zoom link.