“Narratives Across Borders: Contemporary Perspectives in Literature and Culture”
On February 27, we had the pleasure of hosting the 3rd SGR Seminar Barcelona-Lleida, bringing together researchers from G4RoC (Group for the Representation of Conflict, Universitat de Barcelona) and CELCA (Centre de Literatures i Cultures en Anglès, Universitat de Lleida) for a discussion on how literature crosses borders—whether historical, geographical, or thematic—to challenge and reshape our understanding of identity, memory, and conflict.
The seminar was structured around three roundtables, each exploring, in different ways, the narrative and theoretical frameworks shaping contemporary literary studies:
- Literary Gerontology and Genre (Chaired by Núria Mina): Maricel Oró, Inesa Shevchenko, and Katerina Valentova (UdL) explored how literature reflects the ageing process across different genres.
- Gender Studies in Contemporary Literature (Chaired by Inesa Shevchenko): Esther Jiménez, Aina Díaz, and Àngels Llurda (UdL) discussed the intersections of gender, power, and representation in global literary traditions.
- Contemporary Representations of Conflict (Chaired by Cristina Pividori): Sara Martín, David Owen, Nicholas Spengler, Bernd Springer, and Cristina Pividori (UAB) examined how war literature continues to evolve, questioning dominant narratives and offering alternative perspectives on trauma, survival, and resistance.
A huge thank you to all participants for their insightful contributions! We look forward to continuing these conversations in future editions.
