Local Cultures, Global Inequalities: Is Haiti Poor Because of Its Language?
Channel: Center for Advanced Study, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Date: 2014-01-21

Albert Valdman
Director, Creole Institute and Rudy Professor Emeritus of French, Italian and Linguistics, Indiana University Bloomington

Can inequalities in global development result from cultural isolation? Does Haiti's unique Creole language isolate the country in today's global world, while Spanish enables the Dominican Republic to enjoy greater connectedness and economic wealth? These questions elicited intense public interest in the immediate aftermath of the January 2010 earthquake, and will be addressed by Albert Valdman, specialist of the Haitian Creole language.

Hosted by: Department of African American Studies, Department of French, Department of Spanish, Italian and Portuguese

In conjunction with: Center for Global Studies, Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Department of Geography, Department of History, Department of Linguistics, European Union Center, French@Illinois, Second Language Acquisition and Teacher Education Program, School of Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics, Spurlock Museum