Conference: Mediality of Smells

From Sunday, June 24th to Tuesday, June 26th 2018 the international conference Médialité des odeurs / Mediality of Smells will take place at Maison Française d’Oxford and Jesus College. This event is jointly convened by Dr Jean-Alexandre Perras (Jesus College, University of Oxford) and Dr Érika Wicky (Fonds National de La Recherche Scientifique and Université de Liège).

The study of scents and all things olfactory is currently thriving, a sign of the great interest that our information-based societies feel for a sense which seems to offer a direct and immediate experience of reality. The conference Mediality of Smells aims to develop the nascent interdisciplinary exchange around smells by examining the question of the media and the possible mediatisation of smells.

Najla Shami Concert

Najla Shami, Galician-Palestinian singer and songwriter, presents "Latitudes" in Oxford, on 21 June at the Shulman Auditorium, the Queen’s College, 7.30 pm.

XVIII Forum for Iberian Studies: Fictitious Realities, Real Fictions

This conference, which takes place at the Taylor Institution from Wednesday 20th to Thursday 21st June 2018, aims to explore the communicating vessels between reality and fiction in the cultural productions of the Iberian Peninsula across time, from the era of medieval chronicles to the digital age.

Bonn Medievalists on Visit in Oxford

On 18 to 21 June, staff and students from the University of Bonn will come to Oxford for an intense three-day colloquium on medieval German literature and culture, hosted by the three German medievalists Henrike Lähnemann, Almut Suerbaum and Annette Volfing.

Study Day: The World of the French Novel, 1800-1820

On Monday, June 18th 2018, together with Maison Française d’Oxford, we present an international study day themed Le Monde du roman français, 1800-1820 / The World of the French Novel, 1800-1820.

The French nineteenth-century novel was the genre that transformed multilingual European literature, and Le Monde du roman français, 1800-1820 will allow one to learn about the origins of that phenomenon.

This study day will feature talks in both French and English, with the researchers arriving from across Britain and France, but also Belgium and New Zealand. The subjects are diverse and include the works of particular authors of the period (Mme de Genlis, Pigault-Lebrun, or Germaine de Staël — to name a few) as well as over-reaching themes, such as the Romantic, the Gothic, and the Feminine.

MML Graduate Conference: 'In the Margins'

This year's Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages Graduate Conference 'In the Margins' is taking place in the Taylor Institution on Monday 18 June 2018.

Meeting with Zabou Breitman

On 15 June, Cinéma et culture française à Oxford, with the support of the Society for French Studies, welcomes the French actress and director Zabou Breitman, or simply Zabou, to the Taylor Institution, to talk about her career.

Puerto Rico After Hurricane María: Culture, Politics, Place

A one-day symposium at the Rothermere American Insitute (RAI) on Friday, 15 June (10.30am – 5.30pm), on the cultural, political and infrastructural situation in Puerto Rico after Hurricane María struck the island in September 2017.

Reading by Eduardo Lalo

On Thursday, June 14th we invite you to a reading by Puerto Rican author, photographer and film-maker Eduardo Lalo. This event will take place in Room 2 of the Taylor Institute, from 5 pm.

Eduardo Lalo is an award-winning novelist, whose works are hybrids of essay and fiction, set in locations around the world, at once remote and familiar. We are especially fortunate to host this reading on the eve of the Puerto Rico After Hurricane María: Culture, Politics, Place symposium on Friday, June 15th.

Please, note that the reading will be in Spanish. The event is free and open to the public.

Graduate Book Display: 'In the Margins'

Complimenting this year's Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages (MML) Graduate Conference, a cross-period, multilingual book display will run for a week in the Voltaire Room of the Taylor Institution, from June 13 - 20, 2018.

MIMSS: Colloquim on Hispanic Texts and Manuscripts

The next MIMSS (Magdalen Iberian Medieval Studies Seminar) event is taking place on Friday next week: the Colloquium on Hispanic Texts and Manuscripts will be held at Magdalen College on June 8th, from 2 pm.

The colloquium programme includes accounts by four British researchers, whose works showcase different strains of Hispanic Studies in Oxford and London. The Faculty is represented by Professor María Morrás, whose presentation will conclude the event. All are welcome.

To learn more about MIMSS activities, please, follow this link.

La francophonie au Royaume-Uni: état, enjeux, perspectives

The Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages and the Maison Française d’Oxford are hosting a meeting of the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (https://www.auf.org/) and of UK universities on 6 — 7 June 2018. We warmly invite representatives of academic institutions to attend.

Bringing Kafka’s Castle to Life: Podium Discussion

On Friday, June 1st 2018, we welcome you to a podium discussion dedicated to one of the most influential authors of the 20th century, Franz Kafka. Titled 'Bringing Kafka's Castle to Life', this event will take place in the Auditorium of St John's College from 5.00 pm.

The panel event will examine the legacy of the novel, bringing Kafka to new audiences, and Oxford’s position on the global map of Kafka Studies. Professors Carolin Duttlinger, Katrin Kohl, Barry Murnane, and Ritchie Robertson of the Oxford Kafka Research Centre will be joined by Roland Reuß, co-editor of the FKA Historical-Critical Kafka Edition, and award-winning playwright Ed Harris, who recently adapted the novel for BBC Radio 4.

Film Screening: Lights

The Russian Sub-Faculty alongside the Vintage Film Club is very pleased to continue the Russian classic film series as part of the European Humanities Research Centre Visibility Project. The project aims to introduce film adaptations of Russian classical literature to students in connection with the FHS course in Russian (Papers VIII and X). Also, anyone interested in Russian literature and language is welcome.

The Oxford German Play: The Trial

From Tuesday, May 29th to Saturday, June 2nd the dramatic adaptation of The Trial (Der Process) by Franz Kafka will be shown at the Burton Taylor Studio, Oxford Playhouse. Presented by The Oxford German Play, their sixth production is a contemporary student reading of a classic Modern text.

The play is staged in the original language, with English subtitles. All are welcome, and tickets can be booked online.

Meeting with Richard Anconina

On Friday, May 25th2018 we present Richard Anconina in conversation with students and members of the public. The famous French actor, whose work spans genres and decades, will be speaking about the art of cinema and his work. Richard Anconina is a winner of two César Awards (Best Supporting Actor, Most Promising Actor) and has worked with such directors as Claude Berri and Claude Lelouch.

This conversation will be convened by Dr Michael Abecassis and take place in the Auditorium of St John's College.

The event is free and open to all, and will be in French.

The Magdalen Iberian Medieval Studies Seminar: Las serranas del Arcipreste de Hita y las pastorelas francesas

The next session of the Magdalen Iberian Medieval Studies Seminar is taking place on Friday, May 25th 2018. Professor Bienvenido Morros (Autonomous University of Barcelona) will give a lecture titled 'Las serranas del Arcipreste de Hita y las pastorelas francesas'. Dedicated to works of medieval Castilian poet Juan Ruiz — otherwise known as the Archpriest of Hita — the talk will explore the connection between the lyrical musings of Ruiz and French pastorals.

The lecture given by Professor Morros will take place in the Oscar Wilde Room at Magdalen College, from 5 pm.

The event is free and open to all, and will be in Spanish.

March 1968 in Poland and the Anti-Semitism Controvery in 2018

An Ilchester Lecture by Knut Andreas Grimstad (University of Oslo)

Professor Knut Grimstad’s research interests lie in the area of Polish literature and culture, including Polish-Jewish cultural relations, Polish national identity discourse after 1989, language and literature in contemporary Poland, and cinema and screen culture after 1989. He has published several books and many articles in these areas, as well as on nineteenth- and twentieth-century Polish and Russian literature. For a synopsis of his lecture, please see the obverse.

Film Screening: A Gentle Creature

The Russian Sub-Faculty alongside the Vintage Film Club is very pleased to continue the Russian classic film series as part of the European Humanities Research Centre Visibility Project. The project aims to introduce film adaptations of Russian classical literature to students in connection with the FHS course in Russian (Papers VIII and X). Also, anyone interested in Russian literature and language is welcome.

Francophone Seminar Keynote Lecture: Aimé Césaire and the Hermeneutical Circle, or, How We Know What We Know

On Tuesday, May 15th 2018 we invite you to the keynote lecture of the Faculty Francophone Seminar: 'Aimé Césaire and the Hermeneutical Circle, or, How We Know What We Know' by Professor A. James Arnold. The speaker will share his insight into the works of the famous Martinique author and founder of the négritude movement in Francophone literature.

Professor Arnold is one of the leading specialists in the field, with several publications dedicated to Césaire, including The Complete Poetry of Aimé Césaire in 2017. The subject of 'Aimé Césaire and the Hermeneutical Circle, or How We Know What We Know' is the shift in epistemological assumptions from retrospective to prospective editions of an author’s work.

The talk will be held in the Main Hall of the Taylorian Institute at 5 pm. The event is open to all and no booking is required.