Research on gender-inclusive language is a timely and important topic in today’s society. It helps us understand how language can perpetuate gender biases, stereotypes, and inequality. Research on gender-inclusive language helps making women more visible in society and is also important for marginalized gender groups, such as transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming individuals. A cooperation between researchers and practitioners from outside the proverbial ivory tower can help challenging societal attitudes and biases. Together, we can foster cultural change and create a more inclusive society that values and respects all individuals. Research helps shed light on the challenges they face due to gendered language, and provides evidence-based strategies to create more inclusive and respectful linguistic environments. Through research, we can identify effective strategies to encourage more inclusive and equitable language use. We can improve communication strategies, promote empathy, and enhance dialogue among diverse individuals. All this can only be done when we bring together academics and practitioners from diverse fields to collaborate on this important issue.
Research on gender-inclusive language holds significance for various stakeholders, as it provides valuable insights that can inform policy-making and guide language-related practices in the domains we cover: government bodies and related institutions, cultural associations and institutions, NGOs, and businesses in fields like, banking, translation, and language education.
Our Research Networking Project will generate fruitful and novel interaction by bringing together practitioners and academics from many different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The participating academics cover various languages and work in diverse disciplines and fields such as Linguistics, Psychology, Translation Studies, and Languages. They all conduct research on gender and language, with a focus on encouraging gender-inclusive language. Our network will lead to interdisciplinary collaboration, and will facilitate the transfer of knowledge and expertise across the different aforementioned disciplines and fields.
Moreover, the network can advance knowledge and understanding in these fields by facilitating collaborations between the participating academics and practitioners, promoting research on gender and language, and sharing best practices with regard to the use of gender-inclusive language in various contexts. The network can also contribute to the broader societal discourse on gender and language, including the role of language in shaping our perceptions of gender, and the importance of gender-inclusive language use in developing gender equality.
The conferences and workshops will provide opportunities for participants to learn from each other, exchange ideas, develop new perspectives on gender and language, and thereby overcome challenges. A concluding event will facilitate discussions and exploration of synergies, potentially leading to future collaborative projects and initiatives that improve gender-inclusive language use in different contexts.
The activities and outcomes of the network will be of interest to a range of academic audiences and disciplines, including Linguistics, Psychology, Translation Studies, and Languages, as well as practitioners. It will ultimately help promoting and implementing gender-inclusive language, and it will also path the way for future cooperation on much lager projects related to gender and language.
Dr Falco Pfalzgraf (QMUL), Organiser of the Research Networking Project