National Forum for English Studies

The 12th National Forum for English Studies, with its official theme emphasizing communities and communication, will take place on 26-28 April 2023, at Mälardalen University. We look forward to welcoming you at Sweden’s newest university for some inspiring days with information exchanges and networking around the study, teaching and use of English.

Call for Contributions

The 12th National Forum for English Studies will take place on 26-28 April 2023, at Mälardalen University, Västerås, Sweden.

Background, aim and scope

In the current state of the world, with its challenges, threats and upheavals, be they of a military, political, cultural, economic, health- or climate-related nature, it is more important than ever to emphasize the need for relation-building and the capacity of language, not least English, to connect communities and overcome divisions and challenges. We therefore specifically invite proposals for talks and activities that address the communicative and unifying potential of English, including the teaching and learning of it. That said, the Forum remains open to all kinds of topics and perspectives falling within – or being of relevance to – English Studies in Sweden and beyond.

At the Forum, teachers and researchers are welcome to raise and discuss issues and questions, challenges and solutions, projects and findings regarding the study, promotion and use of English – from linguistic, literary, culture-and-society or pedagogical perspectives, including fruitful combinations of perspectives. This can be done in the form of classic research presentations, workshops, or inspirational accounts of professional/pedagogical development projects, experiments, strategies and solutions – in short, anything of interest to professionals in the field of English Studies in Sweden.

Keynote talks

Three internationally renowned scholars have kindly agreed to give keynote talks at the Forum: Fiona Farr (University of Limerick), Bo G Ekelund (Stockholm University), and Tom Morton (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid). More information about them and their talks is available here.

Discussion sessions

In line with the ambition and scope sketched above, and following a certain tradition from earlier National Forums, we also intend to arrange for a number of discussion sessions, where specific categories of academics (such as doctoral students, lecturers and senior lecturers, and full professors) and/or special-interest groups (such as degree project supervisors and examiners, directors of study and program coordinators, or literature teachers) can come together to ventilate shared concerns. Suggestions in this regard, including proposals for organizing and chairing a discussion forum, are therefore welcome, too.

Invitation to submit proposals

The following is an overview of the types of contributions invited:

• Individual papers: 20-minute presentations followed by 5 minutes of questions and discussion. Abstracts should not exceed 250 words, excluding the title of the talk, author name(s), affiliations, email addresses, reference list, and 3-5 keywords.
• Panels: 90-minute sessions based on 3-4 thematically related papers and leaving room for joint discussion. Abstracts should include the rationale for the session as well as the abstracts for the individual contributions, not exceeding 1000 words in total (excluding the title of the panel, author names, affiliations, email addresses, reference lists, and 3-5 keywords).
• Workshops: 60- or 90-minute sessions with instruction and active participation. Proposals should not exceed 250 words, excluding the title of the workshop, organizer name(s), affiliations, email addresses, and 3-5 keywords.
• Discussion sessions: 60- or 90-minute sessions for the discussion of a specific topic or concern regarding English Studies in Sweden and/or among a defined group of participants. Proposals should include a rationale for the session but not exceed 250 words, excluding the title, organizer name(s), affiliations, email addresses, and optional keywords.¹

Deadlines and additional information

Please use the Forum e-mail address for submitting proposals for contributions: nationalforum2023@mdu.se.

The deadline is 15 January 2023. A response can be expected within the subsequent weeks.

The deadline forregistration External link, opens in new window. is 26 March 2023.

Additional information about the keynote speakers, registration, the program and more has been or will be made available on this website. Inquiries can be sent to the Forum email address.

We the organizers are looking forward to welcoming you at Mälardalen University in April 2023!

On behalf of the organizing committee:

Thorsten Schröter

Senior Lecturer in English Linguistics, Head of English Studies, School of Education, Culture and Communication, Mälardalen University

¹ Note that a session dedicated to semi-formal PhD student presentations is already in the planning stage. Please see this page for more details.