Series

Funding: Arqus European University Alliance, Arqus Innovation Fund

Organisation: David Porcel Bueno (University of Granada), Katharina Gerhalter (University of Graz), Stefan Koch (University of Graz)

The Bottom-Up Initiative focuses on the dissemination of research and the promotion of teaching on minority and minoritized languages in Europe through an innovative, threefold format that combines the three foundations of university: teaching, research, and Third Mission. This means that all events within the Bott-up Initiative combine teaching activities and Third Mission activities (making science accessible to the public) with scholarly exchange among experts. Hence, the target audience is also threefold—students, scientists, and general public— and thus represents the entire society.

The initiative brings together three key groups: researchers, students, and the general public. The outcomes and objectives of the Bottom-up Initiative include raising awareness of Europe’s linguistic diversity and plurality, as highlighted as particularly worthy of protection by the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (https://www.coe.int/en/web/european-charter-regional-or-minority-languages/home), and fostering critical reflection on language hierarchies.

The initiative also promotes plurilingualism by training passive competences in Romance minority and regional languages by fostering pan-Romance intercomprehension and intercomprehension skills. Furthermore, the initiative enhances the visibility of these languages. While students and general public in particular are encouraged to move beyond the traditional focus on major Romance standard languages and gain knowledge about lesser-known Romance varieties, at the same time, researchers benefit from expanded networking opportunities across Arqus universities and beyond, facilitating methodological exchange, the sharing of best practices, and the strengthening of this academic field.

The ultimate goal is to raise awareness in the society as a whole for the beneficial social effects of plurilingualism and the capacity of speaking and understanding various languages, which is facilitated by an awareness for the potential of intercomprehension (e.g., Romance languages and dialects, Germanic languages and dialects, Slavic languages and dialects, etc.), which enables communication without having to actively learn all of the languages involved in a given situation.

Events (overview)
For a description of the single events, please refer to the option “Events” in the menu bar.

• Workshop series in Graz on minority and minoritized languages in Spain and in contact with Spanish (Graz, 1–2 June 2026)
• Jornadas de lenguas románicas minoritarias y minorizadas – Symposium on minority and minoritised Romance languages (Granada, 13–14 May 2026)
• Workshop series in Padua on minority and minoritized languages (Padua, 7 May 2026, 29 May 2026)
• Jornada ARQUS sobre Línguas Minorizadas/Minoritárias (Braga, 17 April 2026)
• Workshop series in Graz on Galician (Graz, 11 February 2026, 22 April 2026)
• The Arqus Workshop on Romance minority languages in Italy… and Italian as minority language (Graz, 8–9 October 2025)
• Workshop series in Granada on research and teaching of minority languages in Europe (Granada, 24 March 2025, 9 April 2025)

The recently introduced focus-series “Revitalizing minority and minoritized languages in Europe” is a new initiative by the AIFRS to study, teach, promote and conduct research on European minority and minoritized languages. The core scope of the focus-series are Romance minority and/or regional languages like, e.g., Galician, Sardinian, Judeo-Spanish, Franco-Provençal, Mirandese, Neapolitan, etc., not excluding an extension to non-Romance languages within the Romania or for the purpose of comparison. This initiative is rooted in the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages from 1992 – not unproblematic on its own in its vague and not well informed linguistic terminology (e.g., presupposing certain definitions of language and dialect, pp. 1–2) –, which aims at endorsing the protection and promotion of regional and minority languages as an integral part in the creation of a democratic and cultural diverse Europe of the future. Promoting linguistic diversity shall, according to this, facilitate communication between different communities and help create multicultural and tolerant societies.

The focus-series is the AIFRS’ contribution to this endeavor. It is held in cycles which consist of connected plenary talks, conferences, workshops, etc., on specific subjects within the general frame of the focus-series.

The first cycle in this series bears the title

“Plurilingualism and multiculturalism on the Iberian Peninsula”

and is organized at the University of Granada, just as subsequent cycles will take place at the heart of Arqus in Granada.

First cycle: Granada, academic course, November 2022 – May 2023
Organization: David Porcel Bueno (University of Granada): daporbue(at)ugr.es

Further Information

Content:

• November 2022, plenary talk: The representation of female characters in the Cantigas de amigo of Don Denis by Rachele Fassanelli (Padua)
• 2–3 March 2023, workshop: Asturian from the Middle Ages until today
  held by Stefan Koch (Graz)
• 2–3 March 2023, workshop: Mirandese, a minority and minoritized language in Portugal held by David Porcel Bueno (Granada)
• May 2023, plenary talk: The impact of Galician on Argentinian Spanish
  by Carsten Sinner (Leipzig)

The Colloquium on Romance Linguistics is a series of online-presentations held by several linguists from the Arqus universities to facilitate the open discussion of research results and ideas and give rise to new, joint research projects. It is open to every interested scholar. The Colloquium will be continued, organization rotates between the different Arqus universities. Contact the AIFRS board for further information.

Current (4th) edition: coming soon!

Previous editions:

3rd edition summer term 2022, hosted by Klaus Grübl (Leipzig)
Programme (pdf) / Further information

2nd edition winter term 2021/22, hosted by Martin Hummel (Graz)
Programme (pdf) / Further information

1st edition summer term 2021, hosted by Martin Hummel (Graz)
Programme (pdf) / Further information

The Colloquium on Romance Literatures and Cultures is a point for encounter and discussion concerning Romance Literatures and Cultures. It is open to any interested scholar who wishes to present and discuss their current research with colleagues from the ARQUS universities and beyond.

Current (2nd) edition:

Summer term 2023, hosted by Silvia Datteroni (Granada)
Programme (pdf) / Further information

Previous editions:

1st edition summer term 2022, hosted by Verena Richter and Kurt Hahn (Graz)
Programme (pdf) / Further information

The first edition will be devoted to “Conversion, Anti-Jewish polemics and Inquisition in Iberian context (15th to 17th Centuries)” and will last from 9th October 2023 to 20th March 2024. This first edition includes face-to-face and hybrid format sessions at the University of Granada:

• 1st Conference by Axel Kaplan Szyld (Bar-Ilan University / University of Alcalá):”The Portuguese Converso Phenomenon: A Conceptual and Historiographical Approach” (Monday, 9th October 2023, 12:30-14:30 CEST)
• 2nd Conference by Axel Kaplan Szyld (Bar-Ilan University / University of Alcalá): “From Adversus Iudaeos to Adversus Conversos: Continuities and Changes in Portuguese Anti-Jewish Polemics” (Wednesday, 11th October 2023, 12:30-14:30 CEST)
• 3rd Conference by Juan Ignacio Pulido Serrano (University of Alcalá): “Portuguese New Christians in Political and Ideological Dynamics in the Hispanic Monarchy” (Wednesday, 15th November 2023, 15:30-17:00 CET)
• 4th Conference by Claude B. Stuczynski (Bar-Ilan University): “Between Messianism, Millenarianism, and Reason of State: Revisiting Father Vieira and His Position on Jews and Conversos” (Monday, 19th February 2024, 15:30-17:00 CET)
• 5th Conference by David Porcel Bueno (University of Granada): “Censorship and banned books in Portugal and Brazil (16th and 17th Centuries): the consequences of Regula VII” (Monday, 4th March 2024, 12:30-15:00 CET)
• 6th Conference by Andrea Arcuri (University of Granada / Società Dante Alighieri, Granada Committee): “Breaking the Seal: Confession and the Inquisition in Portugal” (Wednesday, 20th March 2024, 15:30-17:00 CET)

Contact and further information: David Porcel Bueno, daporbue(at)ugr.es