News

The LXVI Anglo-Catalan Society Annual Conference, announced

The LXVI Anglo-Catalan Society Annual Conference will be held at  the University of St Andrews from 5 to 7 November 2021

We encourage members and non-members alike to attend the conference and take advantage of this excellent opportunity to hear stimulating papers, engage in lively discussion and enjoy meeting with colleagues and friends, either in person or online. As things stand, it is envisaged that the bulk of the conference activities will take place online. If possible, however, some papers will be given, and some events held, in person. Further information will be emailed to all participants in due course.

Continue reading “The LXVI Anglo-Catalan Society Annual Conference, announced” →

UCD post-doctoral research fellow

UCD POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOW LEVEL 1 IN THE CATALAN LANGUAGE, SCHOOL OF IRISH, CELTIC STUDIES AND FOLKLORE, 36 MONTHS

The postdoctoral fellow will work as part of a research team on a project entitled ‘Youth Engagement in European Language Preservation (1900-2020)’, funded by the European Research Council.

The position will be for 3 years, and the successful candidate will be based in the School of Irish, Celtic Studies and Folklore, University College Dublin.

More information (PDF)

Further information is available at www.ucd.ie/workatucd/jobs/

Closing date: 4th May 2021

Continue reading “UCD post-doctoral research fellow” →

Dr Richard Huddleson has been granted an award by the Institut d’Estudis Catalans

Our recent PhD graduate, Dr Richard Huddleson / Riocárd Ó hOddail has been awarded a Generalitat de Catalunya research prize, worth 4,200 EUR, by the Institut d’Estudis Catalans.  

The prize will allow Richard to carry out an in-depth analysis of infidelity, cross-dressing, and marital scandal in two Early Modern plays from Mallorca. Given the plays’ wild content, with open criticism of the Roman Catholic Church and a mockery of the supposed moral virtues of its clergy, both anonymous works grant us insight into power structures and sexual agency in Early Modern Mallorca. In order to bring these vibrant stories to life elsewhere, the plays will also be translated from Catalan into English as part of the project. 

This research has partly emerged from Richard’s doctoral thesis on queer Catalan theatre and will serve to augment his new project, ‘Queer(y)ing Golden Age Theatre’, when he takes up his position as Ahmanson-Getty postdoctoral fellow at the UCLA Centre for 17th and 18th Century Studies, as part of the ‘Resituating the Comedia’ core programme. 

More than 70 people attended the workshop about Sant Antoni festivities and “gloses”

On the 27th of January the Centre for Catalan Studies co-hosted a workshop about Sant Antoni festivities in Mallorca and a “gloses” battle

Celebrated on the 17th of January, Sant Antoni festivals evoke the not so distant agricultural past of the island. Full of typical elements such as demons, foguerons (bonfires) or the Beneïdes (animal blessings), its music (“gloses”) and instruments (“ximbomba”) make this celebration one of the most loved by Majorcans. Of all the municipalities that celebrate this festival, Sa Pobla stands out the most. That is why we had some invited speakers from “Col·lectiu Sa Negreta” to tell us how this day is celebrated in Sa Pobla.

After their talk, we enjoyed a prerformance by two “glosadors” (“gloses” singers): Miquel Àngel Adrover “Campaner” and Miquel Servera “Boireta”. “Gloses” are popular, rhymed, oral compositions, usually improvised at the same time they are recited. They explained how the “gloses” sound and what their structure is. These singers also performed a “gloses” battle.

You can see the whole session here:

Foc, fum i gloses: de Mallorca a Europa – YouTube

Organised by:

Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen

Centre for Catalan Studies / Queen Mary University of London

Institut Ramon Llull

James Thomas has his anthology of Occitan literature reviewed in ‘Revue des Langues Romanes’

James Thomas, a PhD student at the Centre for Catalan Studies, has just had his anthology of Occitan literature reviewed in the prestigious journal Revue des Langues Romanes.

https://journals.openedition.org/rlr/3748

The anthology, of almost 800 pages and the first of its kind in English, is an extraordinary achievement. The reviewer, Jean-François Courouau (Université II Toulouse Jean Jaurès)​, was lavish with his praise:


“James Thomas has thus produced a monumental piece of work. The anthologist’s task never being easy, his choice of texts cannot be reproached and tribute is paid to the considerable effort involved in translation.”

“The anthology is a milestone and, for this reason, deserves not only to feature in all the university libraries of the anglophone world but also in those of researchers and enthusiasts of Occitan literature whatever their country of residence or nationality.”

James commented: “This book was a long project and it’s gratifying to have my work recognized and lauded in such detail.” 

Film discussion about “Incerta Glòria”

On Monday 23rd of November our Catalan students joined a film discussion about the Catalan film “Incerta Glòria” (Uncertain Glory).

They talked to the actors Oriol Pla (“Juli” in the film) and Núria Prims (la “Carlana”), and also to the producer, Aleix Castelló. Actually, the first questions were posed by students from Queen Mary University of London. They asked the actors and producer questions about their characters, the Spanish civil war, feminism, the challenges of acting, Catalan cinema etc.

Continue reading “Film discussion about “Incerta Glòria”” →

Clip of the concert by Lluís Coloma

On Wednesday 18th November, we celebrated the Queen Mary Annual Catalan Lecture 2020. We had an exclusive concert with the leading blues and boogie-woogie pianist Lluís Coloma (followed by an interview with Lluís and questions from the audience). This is a small taste of what we enjoyed that evening. What Lluís does is magic!

This was an exclusive concert, commissioned by the Centre for Catalan Studies, Queen Mary University of London.