A workshop day on doing Doctoral Research in Catalan Studies in the UK takes place at QMUL

Last week, the workshop day “Doctoral Research in Catalan Studies: Challenges and Solutions in the UK & Ireland” took place at Queen Mary University of London. Current doctoral students as well as former students and supervisors had the chance to share their views and personal experiences.

Charlotte Byrne and James Chow-Thomas, current doctoral students at QMUL, with their presentations ‘Embodied Research and Països Catalans: Problems in Mapping a Historical Narrative’ and ‘Studying and Researching Catalan in the Future: Inter-Departmental Collaboration, the Role of Multilingualism, and Institutional Co-operation on Funding Trips Abroad’ opened the session, while Daisy Towers, from the University of Leeds, talked on ‘Building a Network’ and focused on the challenges that can be encountered as a PhD student in Catalan Studies in the UK, such as highlighting the specific field students work on, funding, or attending conferences.

Neus Crisol, from Institut Ramon Llull, commented on the grants and support they offer and the Institut’s role on promoting and funding Catalan research abroad. After this, during the supervisors’ presentations, Professor John London, Director of the Centre for Catalan Studies, compared past and present with his presentation ‘Catalan Studies in the UK: Some Historical Reflections’, followed by Eva Bru Domínguez, (University College Dublin) talk on ‘Displacing Mercè Rodoreda. Critical Approaches from the Outside’, and Louise Johnson’s (University of Sheffield) ‘“Help, I need a doctor(ate)!” Insights on a journey in Catalan Studies’, which focused on the problems and experiences encountered as both a former student and as a supervisor.