LVIII ANGLO-CATALAN SOCIETY ANNUAL CONFERENCE

CONFERENCE NEWS:

The LVIII annual conference will be held at the University of Sheffield from 9 to 11 November 2012.

This year's conferenmce will take place at the University of Sheffield, whose long and excellent tradition of teaching and research in Catalan Studies is internationally renowned. We encourage members and non-members alike to come to the conference and take advantage of this excellent opportunity to hear stimulating papers, engage in lively discussion and enjoy meeting with colleagues and friends. The city enjoys efficient travel links by air, rail and road, and offers the perfect opportunity for exploring both the industrial heritage of the area, and the Peak District National Park.

Further details about the conference fee, speakers, precise venues and how to book will be published here on the web site very soon. In overview, Friday's conference session will take place on the central University campus, while Saturday and Sunday sessions, including the 'Rimat', will be held at Halifax Hall. The Joan Gili Lecture will be delivered by Jaume Pérez Montaner. A team of volunteers will be available throughout the Conference to offer help and advice. Maps are available here: http://www.shef.ac.uk/visitors/mapsandtravel

For anyone able to book accommodation well in advance, there are currently extremely good deals to be had on city centre hotels via the usual online booking sites. Chains such as Premier Inn, Travelodge and Ibis also have great deals. Halifax Hall is a short distance outside of the centre: walkable for anyone so inclined, and otherwise an easy bus / taxi ride.

CALL FOR PAPERS

You are invited to offer a paper of 20 minutes' duration at the LVIII Anglo-Catalan Society Conference. The paper may treat ANY ASPECT of Catalan culture. Papers in the fields of history and the social sciences will be particularly welcome. In addition, Dr Paul O'Neill is hoping to convene a Linguistics session, and would welcome appropriate submissions.

Suggested 'timely' themes are Sport, given that 2012 of couse marks twenty years since the Barcelona Olympic Games, as well as being London's big year; and 2012 is also the twentieth anniversary of the death of Joan Fuster.

Please send proposals (affiliation, title and 200-word abstract) by e-mail to the Society's Secretary, Dr Anna VIves by 29 June 2012. The email address is anna.vives@le.ac.uk

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SCHOLARSHIPS TO ATTEND THE ANGLO-CATALAN SOCIETY ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2012

1. Given the success of the new type of awards, at the 2011 Annual General Meeting it was decided that the Anglo-Catalan Society Scholarship would continue to be divided into awards of up to £100 each (maximum of 10) to allow young Catalanists to attend the Annual Anglo-Catalan Society Conference.

2. Applicants will be British nationals normally resident in the UK who intend to maintain cultural links with Catalonia or postgraduate students of whatever nationality who have had their offer for a paper accepted. Preference will be given to present or recent students of Spanish at a British University who have taken part in an exchange with a University in the Països Catalans. Competence in Catalan lanuage will be an advantage.

3. The award will comprise of:Free membership of the Anglo-Catalan Society for one year(until January 2014); up to £100 towards the cost of conference and travel expenses. Paayments will be made on production of bills and receipts further to the submission of a report (see point 6).

4. At present the Full Conference Fee is £80 (£70 for students) including annual lunch.

5. Each applicant should provide the following information: 1. Curriculum Vitae; 2. One academic reference provided by either a member of their Spanish department or by a Catalan lector; 3. A signed declaration to the effect that the applicant will attend the full conference and that s/he will take responsibility for the rest of the funding.

6. Successful candidates will be expected to submit a report on the visit to the Scholarship Secretary.

7. Applications should be sent to Dr Montserrat Lunati (Cardiff University) lunati@cardiff.ac.uk