Periodic Reporting for period 3 - YEELP (Youth Engagement in European Language Preservation, 1900-2020)
Reporting period: 2022-11-01 to 2024-04-30
YEELP is the first in-depth study of the intersection between European youth and the preservation of minority or regional European languages in the period since 1900. In the study of minority and regional language preservation and decline, the roles and voices of youths have been consistently overlooked. In order to address this fundamental gap in contemporary research, this project takes a multifaceted approach to the intersection between youth and language. This project takes the Irish, Welsh and Catalan languages as primary case studies, and addresses four aspects of youth engagement in language preservation: (1) Youth as Object within the educational system and governmental policy; (2) Youth as Agent in extracurricular language initiatives; (3) Youth as Subject in the context of literature and reading; and (4) Youth as Advocate in language preservation, which involves establishing the views and ideas of youths themselves regarding their involvement in minority and regional language preservation. Through its historical, literary and grassroots approach of engaging with youths themselves, the project aims to substantially extend the state-of-the-art, providing the primary model for future European research in the fields of the history of youth, minority and regional language studies, youth literature and beyond, while also informing international minority and regional language best practices in the future.
To date, the research team has focused their attention on two aspects of youth engagement in language preservation in the period since 1900: (1) Youth as Object within the educational system and governmental policy; (2) Youth as Agent in extracurricular language initiatives. The PhD Student has undertaken a case study of the Irish Language Summer College, est. 1904, providing an important insight into how this type of informal schooling has engaged youths in the Irish language for over a century. The PI, Postdoc A and Postdoc B have been focusing on a broader range of material relating to educational and governmental policy, and youth engagement in extracurricular language initiatives. For example, the PI has undertaken archival research on extracurricular initiatives in the Irish language context including youth organisations, youth engagement in sport, amateur drama, performing arts competitions known as feiseanna, etc. Postdoc A and Postdoc B have expertise in the Welsh language and Catalan language respectively, and their initial research has brought to light the centrality of youth drama and theatre within both linguistic contexts. The PI, Postdoc A and Postdoc B have therefore begun to concentrate their current research on youth engagement in drama, assessing the influence of drama on youths as participants and as audience. Although separate to the educational system in each country or region, drama aimed at youths is at times closely linked to the educational system, as is clearly the case in the Irish language context.
Main results achieved
Irish language monograph written by PI, An Óige & An Athbheochan [Youth & The Revival] (Published by Cló Léann na Gaeilge, forthcoming 2022)
International conference entitled ‘Youth Engagement in Minority and Regional Languages’ organised by the research team at University College Dublin (11–12 March 2022).
Over 20 papers delivered (conference papers / seminars / guest lectures, etc.) by the research team on topics relating to the project.
2 awards received by the PI and PhD Student for their research outputs
Main results achieved
Irish language monograph written by PI, An Óige & An Athbheochan [Youth & The Revival] (Published by Cló Léann na Gaeilge, forthcoming 2022)
International conference entitled ‘Youth Engagement in Minority and Regional Languages’ organised by the research team at University College Dublin (11–12 March 2022).
Over 20 papers delivered (conference papers / seminars / guest lectures, etc.) by the research team on topics relating to the project.
2 awards received by the PI and PhD Student for their research outputs
Progress beyond the state of the art
The research team is at the forefront of research in the field of youth and minority or regional European languages, and is therefore establishing itself as the core of a broader network of researchers. This is visible through the international conference organised by the research team in March 2022. Youth as Object is the foundation on which this entire project is built. In studying Youth as Agent in extracurricular language initiatives, the research team is moving in new directions that have never before been studied before in any of the three languages (e.g. summer colleges for youth, drama, festivals, performing arts, etc.). The comparative approach adds another layer of novelty and facilitates more interesting debate about why and when youths in each region / country diverge and converge in the types of extracurricular language initiatives in which they become involved. Building on Youth as Agent, the second half of the project: Youth as Subject in the context of literature and reading; and Youth as Advocate in language preservation will undoubtedly shed further light on youth engagement in minority or regional European languages.
Expected Results
Conference Organisation
At the outset, the PI intended to organise one conference during the lifecycle of the project. However, members of the research team have decided to organise two more conferences on subthemes within the project: (1) ‘Page, Stage, and Languages In-Between: Youth Theatre and Performance in Regional, Minority, and Minoritised Languages’, hosted by University College Dublin in 2023; (2) ‘The Irish Language Summer College, 1904-2024’, hosted by University College Dublin in 2024. These conferences will build on the research undertaken by team members themselves and will facilitate new dialogues, further expand their research networks, and will extend the research team’s ability to disseminate its findings.
Monographs
While it was initially anticipated that the project would generate one monograph, it is now anticipated that this project will generate three monographs: (1) An Óige & An Athbheochan (2022) written by the PI (based on WP 1 & 2, and relating to the years 1900-1921 in the Irish context, this monograph came about during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the PI turned to online archives rather than physical archives); (2) a history of youth engagement with the Irish Language Summer College written by the PhD Student (which will be published in the year or two after the lifespan of the project); and (3) a broader project monograph that will present the methodologies used by the research team during the course of the project and will to discuss in detail the relationship between youth as object, agent, subject and advocate of minority and regional European language preservation in the twentieth- and twenty-first centuries.
Journal Articles
Three peer-reviewed articles will be submitted to international peer-reviewed journals during the course of this project. These articles will stem directly from Workpackages 2, 3 and 4, and will be written by team members in collaboration with the PI.
The research team is at the forefront of research in the field of youth and minority or regional European languages, and is therefore establishing itself as the core of a broader network of researchers. This is visible through the international conference organised by the research team in March 2022. Youth as Object is the foundation on which this entire project is built. In studying Youth as Agent in extracurricular language initiatives, the research team is moving in new directions that have never before been studied before in any of the three languages (e.g. summer colleges for youth, drama, festivals, performing arts, etc.). The comparative approach adds another layer of novelty and facilitates more interesting debate about why and when youths in each region / country diverge and converge in the types of extracurricular language initiatives in which they become involved. Building on Youth as Agent, the second half of the project: Youth as Subject in the context of literature and reading; and Youth as Advocate in language preservation will undoubtedly shed further light on youth engagement in minority or regional European languages.
Expected Results
Conference Organisation
At the outset, the PI intended to organise one conference during the lifecycle of the project. However, members of the research team have decided to organise two more conferences on subthemes within the project: (1) ‘Page, Stage, and Languages In-Between: Youth Theatre and Performance in Regional, Minority, and Minoritised Languages’, hosted by University College Dublin in 2023; (2) ‘The Irish Language Summer College, 1904-2024’, hosted by University College Dublin in 2024. These conferences will build on the research undertaken by team members themselves and will facilitate new dialogues, further expand their research networks, and will extend the research team’s ability to disseminate its findings.
Monographs
While it was initially anticipated that the project would generate one monograph, it is now anticipated that this project will generate three monographs: (1) An Óige & An Athbheochan (2022) written by the PI (based on WP 1 & 2, and relating to the years 1900-1921 in the Irish context, this monograph came about during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the PI turned to online archives rather than physical archives); (2) a history of youth engagement with the Irish Language Summer College written by the PhD Student (which will be published in the year or two after the lifespan of the project); and (3) a broader project monograph that will present the methodologies used by the research team during the course of the project and will to discuss in detail the relationship between youth as object, agent, subject and advocate of minority and regional European language preservation in the twentieth- and twenty-first centuries.
Journal Articles
Three peer-reviewed articles will be submitted to international peer-reviewed journals during the course of this project. These articles will stem directly from Workpackages 2, 3 and 4, and will be written by team members in collaboration with the PI.