The Sawyer Seminar series announces that the second inaugural event will be a guest lecture by Michael Herzfeld (Harvard University).
Talk Title: Inventing the Language of the Human Sciences: Ancient Sources and Modern Solutions in Greece and Thailand
Abstract: In both Greece and Thailand, the emergence of social anthropology and other social science disciplines has necessitated the invention of new technical vocabularies for describing the facts of everyday social existence. Greek scholars have followed the well-established national pattern of recasting ancient words as modern terms; many of them, however, also have vernacular currency, creating a distinctive mixture of confusion and clarity. In Thailand, by contrast, while recourse to Sanskrit is common, English has dominated. The speaker will explore the cultural, political, and linguistic reasons for the difference between two countries located within the penumbra of colonial influence.
The entire OSU community is invited. The talk will be followed by a Balkan-themed reception.
Visit sawyer.osu.edu for more information and a complete schedule of events.
This event is sponsored by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for a Sawyer Seminar in the Comparative Study of Cultures.
