Conflict, Borders, Multilingualism, Translation

This course treats the language politics of Cyprus--a divided island since 1974, split by a UN buffer zone--as a way into broader discussions of borders, conflict, translation, and intercultural communication. We will read literary, historical, anthropological, sociological, and other materials dealing with the island's linguistic and social makeup, its present and its past. In addition, we will meet with individuals living and working on the island, including writers, artists, anthropologists, politicians, activists and translators engaged in multicommunal efforts to forge connections across Cyprus' many divides.