Nahuatl nations : language revitalization and semiotic sovereignty in indigenous Mexico / Magnus Pharao Hansen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hansen, Magnus Pharao, author.

Series:

Oxford studies in the anthropology of language

Oxford studies in the anthropology of language series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Nahuatl language--Political aspects--Mexico.

Nahuatl language.

Nahuatl language--Revival.

Indians of Mexico--Languages--Political aspects.

Indians of Mexico.

Semiotics--Mexico.

Semiotics.

Physical Description:

x, 311 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2024]

Summary:

"The Nahuatl language is one of Mexico's official national languages, and as the language of the Aztecs, it holds a special place in the nations national imagination. But it is also the language of many indigenous micro-nations scattered throughout the country, and even across the borders into the US. So what happens when the Mexican state that has long worked to eradicate indigenous languages decides to support and revitalize indigenous languages, and does this help or damage the ability of indigenous communities to keep their languages alive? Based on long-term ethnography, this book is about how the Nahuatl language plays a role in the political life of different kinds of communities - from the Mexican nation, to indigenous towns and regions, and to the Mexican diaspora in the US. It is also about how politics play a role in the life of a language. It argues that to understand why some indigenous languages become endangered and disappear while others remain vital community languages, we must understand the political relations between the speech communities and the national community, and the way that the language is integrated into the fabric of indigenous community life. Engaging with indigenous scholarship on political sovereignty of indigenous peoples it introduces the concept of "semiotic sovereignty" to analyse the semiotic relations between indigenous political communities and nation state politics. It argues that for indigenous communities it is of crucial importance to control its own semiotic resources, prominently including language"-- Provided by publisher

Contents:

Introduction: Nahuatl Revitalization in the Mexican Nation

Interlude: On Transcription

From Indian Republics to Covert Publics: Colony to Nation

Nahuatl Is Very Fashionable Now: Nation Branding and Cultural Expropriation

Language, Autonomy, and Indigenous Politics in Hueyapan, Morelos

Land, Language, and Higher Learning in the Zongolica Highlands

Nahuatl across Borders: Mexican Transnationalism in the United States

Conclusions: The Current State of Nahuatl

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 277-297) and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Hansen, Magnus Pharao. Nahuatl nations.

ISBN:

9780197746165

0197746160

9780197746158

0197746152

OCLC:

1429138912

Publisher Number:

90100154212