Tapu and the Helpiman: Colonial Language Dynamics and Religious Syncretism in the Making of the ‘Global Bible’

5 March 2024, 4.00 PM - 5 March 2024, 6.00 PM

Dr Floris Solleveld (University of Bristol)

Room G.H01, Arts Complex (enter via 7 Woodland Road)

Speaker

Dr Floris Solleveld (University of Bristol)

Chair

Dr Sig Sønnesyn

Abstract

Along with spreading the dubious benefits of ‘Commerce, Christianity, and Civilization’, 19th-century missionary networks introduced new forms of language into the languages of Indigenous and colonized peoples. Bible translation created a new, artificial prestige register, which both drew upon and conflicted with extant prestige registers and oral or written literary traditions. In my talk I will discuss three examples of these dynamics: the Māori language and its highly organized oral tradition; the complex linguistic, cultural, and religious patchwork of Dutch Indonesia; and the Surinamese Creole language Sranan. 

The talk will be followed by a Q&A and a small reception of drinks and nibbles.

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