North American Study of Welsh History and Culture Conference comes to Wales

The North American Association for the Study of Welsh History and Culture (NAASWCH) biennial international Conference takes place at Bangor University, for only the second occasion that the Conference has met outside North America. Traditionally held in the US and Canada, the Conference takes place between 26th and 28th of July and has come to Wales once before. 

The long-standing cultural relations between Wales and America, including the experience of Welsh communities in North America will provide the Keynote themes at the Conference which is organised by Professor Tony Brown of Bangor University’s School of English and Dr Andrew Edwards of the University’s School of History, Welsh History & Archaeology.

Professor Brown said ‘It is a testament to Bangor University’s leading role in developing international-quality Welsh scholarship that the NAASWCH conference is being held here, with many leading figures in their fields. We are looking forward to what should be an excellent and stimulating conference’.

Dr Edwards said ‘We are delighted by the response to the conference from both sides of the Atlantic, especially in these challenging economic times. We wanted a conference that showcased the wealth of academic work that focusses on Wales, and given the quality of the papers, I think we have definitely achieved that’.

The Conference has attracted over 80 scholars from both sides of the Atlantic to discuss a wide range of topics from medieval poetry to the presentation of Wales in contemporary film and TV, from Daniel Defoe and Samuel Johnson in eighteenth Wales to writing by women in Wales from the eighteenth century to the present. Literary topics include a set of papers on R.S. Thomas. There will also be poetry readings in both Welsh and English which will include prize-winning writers Angharad Price, Jason Walford Davies, Zoe Skoulding and Ian Gregson.

For further details regarding registering and attending the NAASWCH conference please contact Dr Mari Elin Wiliam by e-mail at hisa05@bangor.ac.uk or by phone on 01248 382144. The conference programme can be found on the NAASWCH website www.naaswch.org

Publication date: 17 July 2012