The English Department at Södertörn University will host the National Forum for English Studies nest year. The Forum will take place on 21-23 April 2021 on the Södertörn University campus, about 20 minutes south of Stockholm city centre. The theme for the Forum is, ‘Rethinking English Studies’:
In a global context of rising nationalism and populism, of closing borders and faltering supranational arrangements, what is the role reserved for English? Following Brexit, are we to expect a shift in the symbolic status of the language and its culture at a European and national level? What can English Studies as an academic field offer society in this context? As the intellectual and professional expectations of students of English change, how is our discipline to rethink its purpose and future? This National Forum will offer an opportunity for teachers and researchers in linguistics, literature and pedagogy to reflect on these and other questions of relevance to the study of English in Sweden today.
The confirmed keynote speakers are:
- Robert Eaglestone, Professor of Contemporary Literature and Thought at the Department of English at Royal Holloway, University of London.
- Elizabeth Peterson, Associate Professor of English Philology at the Department of Languages, University of Helsinki.
- Pia Sundquist, Associate Professor of English Language Education at the Department of Teacher Education and School Research, University of Oslo.
Titles and abstracts for the keynote lectures and a call for papers, panels, and workshops relevant to the Forum theme, the keynote lectures, or English studies will be announced in August. Information will be sent by mail, and regular updates will also be available on the 2021 Forum website.