Argentine linguist Dr. Leonard Cerno will join the University of Arkansas faculty for the fall 2025 semester as a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence. He will co-teach alongside U of A historian Dr. Shawn Austin the course Indigenous Communities and Language in Lowland South America, HIST 42803/52903 & WLLC 3980V/5750V (Tues./Thur. 3:30-4:45 p.m., HOEC 0005).

Dr. Cerno and Dr. Austin will delve into fascinating colonial and linguistic histories. The course begins with an exploration of Portuguese and Spanish conquests, explaining why so many Europeans learned the Tupí-Guaraní language and relatively few Indigenous learned the language of the conquistadors. The focus then shifts to Río de la Plata history (encompassing modern-day Argentina, S. Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) to explore one of the most interesting societies, puzzled over by the most important 18th century European philosophers: the Guaraní missions (1609-1830s). What the philosophes missed (though students will not) were Guaraní words. Cerno and Austin will guide students into their original translations, making rare texts accessible for the first time.  

Students will discover why the Guaraní missions were familiar to almost every literate person in 18th century Europe, why this history has been overlooked in the last two centuries and why linguistic methods are generating new interest today. Alongside the Nahuatl, Mayan and Quechua languages, Guaraní is one of most extensively documented Indigenous languages of the early modern era. This course brings together cutting-edge interdisciplinary methodologies that will help students see the central role that language played in the practice of European empires in the Americas.