In this post we introduce another member of the FEL Executive Committee.
Hakim Elnazarov
I am originally from the Badakhshan region of Tajikistan, which is a home to the endangered Pamiri languages of Central Asia. I am currently affiliated with the Institute of Ismaili Studies in London as Head of the Central Asian Studies Unit. My research interests include the history, culture, and traditions of the Central Asian mountain societies, particularly those residing in the highlands of the Pamirs and Hindu Kush.
As a native speaker of Shughni, I have witnessed and experienced the constraints which speakers of endangered language encounter in educational and formal settings. I have conducted research on the use of children’s mother tongues in the classroom in Badakhshan, explored how teachers engage with various languages, and how they try to accommodate their native language to achieve their educational objectives. I presented my research results at the FEL 2004 conference, and was then invited to join the FEL executive committee.
FEL has made a steady contribution to the preservation and revitalisation of endangered languages worldwide through its awareness campaigns, grants, conferences and publications. Its focus on empowering local capacities to preserve and revitalise mother tongues is unique, and I take pride in being part of this endeavour. Since 2004 I have served as a FEL executive committee member, primarily responsible for administering our grant applications. I organised the FEL 2009 conference in Khorog, Tajikistan, in collaboration with the Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, and co-edited the conference proceedings. I have also contributed to the UNESCO Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger edited by my fellow Executive Committee member Christopher Moseley.