Languages and Decentrement: Why Areal Studies?
2026 Back-to-School Lecture
The various departments and programmes at Inalco do not operate independently. They are united by a shared history, values and methods: a detailed knowledge of languages, an interdisciplinary approach, and also in-depth experience of the relevant regions. Together, these form the foundation of what is now known as area studies.
The various departments and programmes at Inalco do not operate independently. They are united by a shared history, values and methods: a detailed knowledge of languages, an interdisciplinary approach, and also in-depth experience of the relevant regions. Together, these form the foundation of what is now known as area studies.
This lecture by Michael Lucken, a highlight of the pre-semester week for Inalco students and staff, will provide an opportunity to understand how the shift in perspective brought about by this approach is not merely a matter of affirming the diversity of viewpoints, but opens up the possibility of genuine understanding in a fundamentally multilingual and multicultural world.