Workshop: ‘Multilingualism at the University of Graz’
The research cluster ‘Multilingualism, Migration and Cultural Transformation’ at the University of Graz investigates those phenomena that shape ‘our thinking and behaviour, our actions, values and sense of belonging’ and have an impact on ‘culture, the economy, politics and education’. The aim is to investigate these socially relevant developments from various academic perspectives (see https://multilingualism.uni-graz.at/de/unsere-forschung/).
The ‘Actors’ cluster focuses on the question of what significance multilingualism holds for people at the University of Graz, how it shapes everyday university life, and what consequences can be drawn from this for research, teaching and institutional practices.
As part of the one-day workshop ‘Multilingualism at the University of Graz’, participants worked together to develop a research project addressing these questions. For the first part of the event, Monika Dannerer (University of Innsbruck) and Philip Vergeiner (University of Passau), who shared insights into their experiences from the VAMUS research project (“Linked Analysis of Multilingualism: The Case of the University of Salzburg”). In their presentations on external and internal multilingualism at the University of Salzburg, they outlined key findings from the project and provided valuable input for the further development of the research project.
Building on these insights, the members of the ‘Actors’ cluster spent the afternoon working in small groups and in a plenary session on a draft questionnaire for the University of Graz. The working session was moderated by the cluster spokespersons Veronika Mattes and Muhammed Akbulut, with expert support provided by Monika Dannerer and Philip Vergeiner. Together, they outlined the initial components of the questionnaire and agreed on concrete steps for its further implementation.
The workshop offered all participants the opportunity for an in-depth professional exchange and contributes to further advancing research into multilingualism at the University of Graz.
