HIA Noon Talk: Cristina Moya

Cristina Moya
Assistant Professor of Anthropology, 2018 Hellman Fellow
UC Davis

Lecture: "What can the Quechua-Aymara language boundary teach us about ethnolinguistics?"

Social networks of reciprocity, interaction, and information exchange often map onto linguistic boundaries. However, there are multiple ways such associations might arise. Case studies of unconventional language boundaries where some of these associations are disrupted can help us narrow down the plausible reasons for the importance of language boundaries in human societies. The Aymara-Quechua language boundary in the Peruvian altiplano is one such useful case study.

In this talk, Professor Moya will draw upon ethnographic, psychological and developmental work in the area to address debates about the evolutionary origins and function of ethnolinguistic boundaries.