Maddi Dorronsoro Olamusu in the Basque Country: Public Talks and Conference Participation

October has been a busy month for our colleague Maddi Dorronsoro Olamusu, who has been sharing and discussing her research in the Basque Country. On 15 October, she was invited to give a public lecture in Azkoitia as part of the series Euskola, dedicated to the Basque language and sociolinguistics. The event, organised by Maxixatzen euskaldunon taldea, a local Basque language activist group, brought together community members interested in the topic of arnasguneak –communities of high Basque speaker density– which Maddi studies from an attitudinal perspective. The session was covered by local media, filmed, and made available online. 

On 16–17 October, Maddi participated in the International Conference on Territories of Higher Speaker Density in Minoritised Language Communities. The event gathered around 250 scholars and practitioners who study or engage with territories of high speaker density, primarily from the Basque Country but also from other minority contexts such as Wales, Ireland, South Tyrol, and Canada. The conference offered a valuable opportunity to exchange ideas, connect, and explore potential collaborations with others working in this field. 

Finally, on 21 and 23 October, Maddi returned to Zestoa and Segura, two of the towns where she had previously conducted fieldwork, to present and discuss her findings with local authorities and residents. These meetings provided a valuable opportunity to share results directly with the communities that contributed so much to this research. The presentation offered in Zestoa was also audio recorded and made available as a podcast. Maddi’s presentations were warmly received for their human-centred approach to the arnasguneak and for fostering insightful discussions with the local audiences during the Q&A sessions.