The Association for Low Countries Studies are delighted to announce our third postgraduate colloquium, “City Lights”, which takes place online on 8-9 July 2021.

The colloquium brings together young scholars from the UK and internationally to explore urban space and civic identity in Benelux from an interdisciplinary perspective. Registration is free of charge via Eventbrite.

The Low Countries is one of the world’s most urbanised regions. Since the Middle Ages, advances in mercantilism, industry and land reclamation had spurred Bruges, Antwerp and Amsterdam toward exponential growth. Meanwhile, claims to political autonomy and religious freedom caused tension with the powers that be, erupting most violently during the Eighty Years’ War (1568-1648). Today, many Netherlandish cities retain a unique sense of identity, manifested in dialects, local legends and civic buildings.

The diverse and wide-ranging programme features panels on sense and the city, the early modern book trade, the built environment, urban politics and modern times. Day two will include a virtual “show and tell” event showcasing Dutch language collections in the Universal Short Title Catalogue and the British Library. To conclude, we look forward to welcoming our keynote, Elisabeth de Bièvre, author of Dutch Art and Urban Cultures, 1200-1700 (Yale University Press, 2015).

Full conference programme also on the Eventbrite site

Best Wishes for the New Year!

The ALCS looks back on a strange but no less productive year. And: we’re looking forward to more good things to come!

Check out the ALCS Winter Bulletin 2021 here for updates, flashbacks and news.

Why study Dutch?

Interactive talk as part of the Language Show
14 November, 15.30
online and free

In this interactive talk,  Kris Van de Poel, Secretary General of the Dutch Language Union (Taalunie), will explore some of the remarkable features of the Dutch language. She will also take a closer look at the diversity of people speaking Dutch as their first language, spread over four countries and two continents. Finally, you will encounter some of the remarkable cultural products producted in Dutch.

Kris van de Poel will demonstrate that Dutch is an accessible Germanic language that unlocks the rich cultures of the Low Countries and beyond.

REGISTER FOR THIS TALK

Teaching Dutch to audiences in the UK and Ireland
20-21 November 2020
0nline event

This autumn, the Association for Low Countries Studies ( ALCS ) is organising its first Language Teacher  Workshop. The workshop will be delivered online and is open to all teachers of Dutch in adult education in the UK, Ireland and beyond. This event and is generously sponsored by our long-term partner the Nederlandse Taalunie.

The programme varies from sessions on vocabulary and learning psychology, creating learning communities online, to personal language journeys and the sense and nonsense of grammar teaching. There will also be a virtual borrel with our 2020 Taalunie Writer in Residence Niña Weijers. And of course there will be plenty of opportunity to meet colleagues and exchange ideas.

Do join us!

The workshop is free and we are very much looking forward to bringing together the UK and
Ireland’s Dutch language tutors.  We often work on our own and don’t have ready access to colleagues to exchange ideas and expereinces. This two-day workshop want to connect and infrom.

Please spread the word and enrol here.

Our Programme

If you cannot make this event, but would like to be kept informed about future events for language tutors, let us know here.