TOWARDS AN ENGAGED LINGUISTICS: HUMAN RIGHTS, LANGUAGE POLICIES AND DIVERSITIES

Abstract

In the second week of December 2020, Prof. Dr. Kleber Aparecido da Silva, from the University of Brasilia, Prof. Dr. Tatiana R. Nogueira Dias, from the University of Brasilia and Prof. Dr. Sonia Magarida Ribeiro Guedes, from the University of Brasilia, formalized an invitation to conduct an interview with Prof. Dr. Ronice Müller Quadros, from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) for this thematic dossier. For knowing closely, as researchers and activists in the area of minority languages and cultures, with emphasis on bilingual education for the deaf, and also the close relationship of the interviewee with themes such as Brazilian sign language, sign language acquisition, bimodal bilingualism, heritage languages deaf education and translation and interpretation of sign language, and her long and illustrious academic career, this interview addresses the contributions of our honoree, Professor Dr. Ronice Muller Quadros, to understand the complex process of (re)thinking about language policies in favor of deaf communities, from a critical perspective and / or decolonial. This interview was developed through sequential message exchanges over the space of nine months, by e-mail - digital support and with asynchronous exchanges, appropriate in these challenging times of pandemic. We hope that this dialogue, as happens in our daily and academic relationships and interactions, will arouse feelings, learning, questioning, new and/or renewed interests, besides being received as a tribute not only to Quadros' invaluable intellectual work, but also, and perhaps especially, to the way she has conducted her (inter)relationships with her peers throughout her life, stimulating genuine identity experiences and rich intellectual exchanges. May we have today, tomorrow, and always a Linguistics that is sensitive to the rights, needs, and demands of the deaf community in our country.