Exploring What CLIC Means to Us

Words have meanings, and those meanings can be found in dictionaries. Yet we are all sensitive to the fact that words have a transformative power, too. They have the power to elevate and the power to hurt. For each of us, the same word may evoke associations and sentiments that are very distinct.

The WORD Project looks beyond the definition of a word. The project share and discuss other possible interpretations and personal meanings of words and expressions in the languages we use—meanings that are particular to our individual experiences and contexts.

This summer we had an opportunity to discuss the meanings of words at the heart of the CLIC Project – CULTURE, LANGUAGE, IDENTITY and COMMUNITY with the visiting students from Japanese universities at École de langues, UQAM.

Our discussions offered new ways of thinking about these words:

Culture: an iceberg; a canvas of lives,

Language: a tool to expand our world; a means of personal growth and emancipation,

Identity: a sense of self and change,

Community:  togetherness, connection, and the potential of conflict.

Identity

We are very grateful for the discussions and contributions of the visiting students from

  • Kanda University of International Studies in China, and
  • Nanzan University of Nagoya