Un-labeling and Unlocking our Shared Humanity: An Expert Interview with Dr. Anna Szilágyi

We are very grateful to have learned from Dr. Anna Szilágyi, a long-term partner and friend of Over Zero, about the power of labels, metaphors, and divisive linguistics in either facilitating conflict or unlocking our shared humanity.

Dr. Szilágyi is an expert in communication, media, and politics who explores the linguistic dynamics of public speech and private interactions. She has taught classes at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Hong Kong, Central European University in Budapest, and Saint Louis University in Madrid. Her writings have appeared in academic journals and books, including The Journal of Language Aggression and Conflict and Advances in the History of Rhetoric. She has also written articles and provided commentaries for media outlets in different parts of the world, including Global Voices, Público, Quartz, Rappler, and Vice News. Her global educational program, “Words Break Bones” equips journalists, professionals, and citizens with crucial linguistic skills to detect and counter patterns of wounding, divisive, and discriminatory speech.

Read the full interview here.

We look forward to continuing to bring you interviews from relevant experts across research and practice.