About POCLANDE international network

POCLANDE international network (People, Cultures, Languages and Development) is a team of researchers, experts and practitioners from the South and the North, who share their thoughts on development issues.
POCLANDE is a multilingual and interdisciplinary scholarly group for Research in Linguistics for Development and Expertise with a view to mobilizing linguistic, anthropological and cultural resources in dealing with issues related to economic and societal development.

Objectives

  • To study language as part of culture and identity, as system, vehicle, and structure of thought;
  • To assess language representation and their impact on development
  • To study intercultural, pedagogical, strategic and other related issues in the context of multilingualism
  • To promote an intercultural approach to coexistence of Western and local languages / traditional artefacts and development programs
  • To interrogate issues related to linguistic and cultural diversity in the frameowrk of development
  • To promote forms of traditional knowledge for effectiveness of development programs through an inherent globalizing environment in scientific and technological development
  • To promote local languages and give them new functions in order to remove them from their heritage and identity confinement
  • To create a framework for scientific collaboration between linguists and specialists from other disciplines like medicine, pharmacy, agriculture, etc. with a view to enriching linguists epistemologically and allow linguists to develop targeted communication models that are adapted to specificities of each project / area
  • To disseminate recommendations in order to have language policies that redefine language functions in POCLANDE network’s action area …
  • Identify favorable sectors for promoting local languages
  • To evaluate the potential for creating wealth of languages by developing specialties for language industry, film industry, pharmaceutical industry …
  • To openly discuss the utility dimension of international languages present in POCLANDE network’s area of action
  • To contribute in improving people’s living conditions in POCLANDE network’s area of action
  • To sensitize, inform and educate stakeholders on the need to take linguistic and cultural dimensions into account for effectiveness of development projects
  • To sensitize national, sub-regional, regional and international organizations on the importance of linguistic and cultural diversity
  • To incorporate the contribution of migration to development

Modalities of action

  • Conferences: regular meetings and discussions between researchers on POCLANDE network thematic areas
  • Publications: Ensure wide dissemination of the work of POCLANDE network members and researchers
  • Collaboration with other specialized scientific research organizations on development issues
  • Partnerships with institutions, bodies and companies operating in the field of the Network’s outreach
  • Expertise:
         –  actions on the ground
        –  participating in development projects
        –  initiating development projects
        –  Managing of development projects
  • Supervision and training:
        –  Doctoral theses
        –  Research work
        –  Developing / initiating university programmes
  • Action – research:
    Promoting epistemology and methodology for intervention research where researchers and practitioners produce together action modalities targeting society.

Theoretical framework

Linguistics for development: a crosscutting epistemological approach that intertwines various disciplines with the aim of taking languages into account when dealing with issues related to sustainable development and poverty reduction… Possible areas of application include Ecology, Public Health, Agriculture and Pastoralism, Handicrafts, Gender, Rural Land tenure, Heritage, etc.

Research areas

Our research areas are interdisciplinary and open. They are not exhaustive and include, among others, communication for development, anthropological and cultural dimensions of development, languages, discourse and issues related to development.

Languages

Languages of international importance, vehicular and local languages. The network’s working languages are French and English.

Our scientific committee is composed of renowned academicians, specialized in training and field practitioners.

Our status: Our network shall develop into an association with legal status and rules of procedure.

Contact : For any information, send a message in French or in English to poclande@gmail.com