Everyone is welcome to join us for the next Starting the Conversation!
These talks are informal gatherings where a speaker shares some aspect of their community engaged research, as a way to engage with others interested in learning from their experience.
We’re delighted to welcome Emily Comeau as the next speaker!
Thursday Feb. 5
1:00 to 2:00 pm
Arts 368: In person, UBC Okanagan
Zoom: Please email icer.ok@ubc.ca for the link
Abstract:
While scholars have shown that language learning is highly effective when it is rooted in relationships on the land, many language learners live far away from their ancestral territories. Consequently, there is an increasing need for technologies that allow learners to connect virtually with each other, with Elders, and with the land. However, existing tools for language learning tend to treat languages as objects, isolated from their context on the land. My doctoral research investigates whether digital technologies can be utilized for language revitalization in ways that also strengthen relationships with the land. Through collaborative community-based projects such as the Tlingit Language and Land App, my research explores potential applications of digital technology in supporting land-based approaches to language revitalization.
About me:
Emily Comeau is a PhD Candidate in the IGS-CESCE program at UBCO. They are a Canadian settler with mixed European heritage who grew up on lək̓ʷəŋən territory on Vancouver Island and Treaty 6 territory in Alberta. Emily is a recipient of the Killam Doctoral Scholarship and the Joseph-Armand Bombardier (SSHRC-CGS) Doctoral Award. In 2022, they became a member of the inaugural cohort of the UBCO Public Scholars Initiative.
Emily is a recipient of the 2024-25 ICER Student Community Engaged Research Award.
Photo credit: Emily Comeau, 2023
