Convocation Seminars in World Literature and Translation: Beyond the Monolingual

Recent years have seen the emergence of 'world literature' both within, alongside, and sometimes as an alternative to, Comparative Literature, with new programmes appearing across universities in the UK and the US.

In a context where languages departments increasingly struggle to recruit students to their programmes, courses in world literature and translation have allowed the discipline to maintain and even increase take up of languages.

However, many world literature programmes do not explicitly require linguistic competency in more than one language, meaning students regularly study literature in translation without necessarily engaging with the original text, the context of its production, or the process of its translation into English. If such monolingual practices help with student recruitment, they also ultimately reduce students’ exposure to languages outside their own as well as an appreciation of what studying texts in the original language brings to the study of literature and culture more broadly.

Bringing together scholars, teachers and students working in languages across London, the UK, and internationally, this series of seminars and workshops examines the place of world literature in the study of languages, as well as languages and translation in the study of world literature, and brings together perspectives from leading researchers in the field.

Supported by a grant from the University of London’s Convocation Trust, the London Intercollegiate Network of Comparative Studies (LINKS) and the Institute of Modern Languages Research (IMLR).  

Series Leader: Joseph Ford (IMLR), in collaboration with LINKS members at the member institutions of the University of London.

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