The aim of this ESF-COST synergy initiative was to identify, highlight and advance the contribution made in the last decades of the 20th century and the early years of the 21st, to European science, society and intellectual cultures by work produced by scholars trained in literary studies (philological, literary-historical and allied fields) as their research has broadened out to include a wide range of interdisciplinary fields and new objects of study. The project focused on the broader societal relevance of such research in ‘literary and cultural studies’ or LCS.
The outcome of the initiative is the recently published Science Policy Briefing “Cultural Literacy in Europe Today” which highlights the specificity of LCS and argues not only that LCS research makes a key contribution to analysing European identities and cultures but also that it has a significant role to play in enhancing the essential responses to a range of broader challenges facing Europe today. The aim of the SPB is to highlight the relevance of LCS research to policy-makers and to society in general. The document ends with a set of specific recommendations to stakeholders on ways forward:
- Create a Cultural Literacy conference series
- Inaugurate a European Forum for LCS research
- Develop flexible funding instruments
- Embed Cultural Literacy in higher education
This international gathering will bring together academics interested in the development of Literary and Cultural Studies in Europe and beyond, as well as policymakers at European and national level. The conference is the first step in implementing the recommendations of the European-wide project Cultural Literacy in Europe and will inaugurate a European Forum on Cultural Literacy in Europe.
The 2015 Conference will have two aspects:
- academic debate on four Literary and Cultural Studies fields
- strategic discussion involving academics together with invited policymakers and funders at European and national level.
For more details, please access THIS LINK.
