Paper Short Abstract:

The dominance of English restricts the epistemological diversity of anthropology, privileging standardized frameworks over linguistically situated knowledge. Writing in one’s native language enables richer, more authentic expressions of thought. This paper advocates for re-embracing linguistic plurality within the discipline.

Paper Abstract:

As an ethnologist with German as my native language, writing in English often feels like a balancing act between access and loss. While it offers entry into global academic discourse, it significantly restricts my ability to convey nuances, humor, or rhythm that come naturally in my native tongue. This tension is not merely aesthetic or stylistic but reflects deeper issues rooted in linguistic relativism and the complex relationship between language, thought, and epistemology.

Language shapes not only what we express but also how we think and understand. Writing in a non-native language imposes specific frameworks of thought and epistemic norms that privilege certain perspectives while marginalizing others. The dominance of academic English exemplifies a standardization that risks eroding the diversity of culturally and linguistically situated ways of knowing. For anthropology—a discipline that seeks to explore and embrace alternative conceptual worlds—this epistemological reductionism contradicts its core mission.

Writing in one’s native language, I argue, is not simply an aesthetic or personal choice but a practice with profound epistemological implications. It allows us to articulate ideas, experiences, and insights more authentically, remaining closer to the cultural and linguistic contexts in which they are rooted. How might our understanding of anthropological knowledge evolve if we challenge linguistic uniformity and embrace multilingualism in academic writing? By reclaiming the practice of writing in our native languages, anthropological knowledge production can achieve greater depth, diversity, and contextual sensitivity, transforming both how and what we know.