The People’s Tongue: English in a Divided America with Ilan Stavans

A SAR Mellon Lecture with Ilan Stavans

At a time when ideological polarization is breaking apart the U.S., the English language is one of the few remaining threads that binds Americans to each other and to their past. Yet it is contested. What does our ever-changing language say about our national character? Cultural commentator Ilan Stavans, the Lewis-Sebring Professor of Humanities, Latin American, and Latino Culture at Amherst College, looks at our verbal history in search of answers.

This event is part of the School for Advanced Research’s American Identities mini-festival illuminating diverse human experiences in the U.S. through lectures, music, film, and discussion. The event is co-presented with SITE Santa Fe.