The conference will feature discussion panels on language teaching, indigenous language rights and the role of language in UNESCO Cities of Culture.

Panellists will include language teachers, language activists and UNESCO City of Literature executives from Gothenburg, Leeuwarden and Manchester. Participants will have the opportunity to rotate between discussion panels.

The conference aims to compare experiences and reflect on how to interrogate language hierarchies in teaching, activism for policy and social change, and cultural events. We will explore how knowledge can lead to action, what we want for languages in cities, and what we envisage as a ‘multilingual utopia’.

The conference is organised by Manchester City of Languages in collaboration with the Aston Centre for Applied Linguistics and Macfest.