30^th European Systemic Functional Linguistics Conference, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, U.K., 1^st to 3^rd July 2020

Social Semiotics & Social Justice

The theme of this ESFLC is ‘Social Semiotics & Social Justice.’ Our era of impending climate catastrophe, likely to hit the poorest hardest and earliest, and increasing inequality of wealth is matched with an increasing understanding of how discourse is implicated in reproducing unequal social relations. Our conference will explore how meaning-making in all modalities can contribute to social injustice and justice. While we welcome analyses that expose how social justice can be extended or threatened by social semiosis, we encourage speakers to describe meaningful action that will improve social justice. We look forward to diverse responses to this challenge.

Our plenary speakers have been selected to explore ‘Social Semiotics & Social Justice’ from different perspectives and we look forward to a range of symposia, talks and workshops that will examine our theme in depth.

As always, ESFLC also welcomes all proposals that engage with SFL and report on new research into discourse, critical discourse, educational and multimodal studies.

We look forward to welcoming you to Sheffield, a city at the heart of the industrial revolution, a centre of political resistance, a hub for outdoor activity and a hospitable place to meet friends old and new, to make new meanings and to start building a better future.