University of Liverpool marks 100 years of Catalan studies

The University of Liverpool is celebrating a century of Catalan studies in 2026, becoming the first university outside Spain where the subject has been taught for one hundred years.

To celebrate this, a wide programme of cultural and academic events is being held in Liverpool this year, including film forums on Catalan cinema, a poetry event and musical talks aimed not only at students – but also the rest of the United Kingdom. 

Commemorating the century, special events have been organized this week. On Tuesday, March 10, The Catalan music duo The Tyets performed a concert at the legendary Cavern Club, famous for hosting early gigs by Liverpool's most famous band, The Beatles.

The Annual Peers Symposium, an academic conference organised by the university on Wednesday, March 11, discussed a range of topics, including the work of Catalan writer Salvador Espriu and the status of the Catalan language in Northern Catalonia, the historic Catalan-speaking region now part of France.

Among the initiatives organised before is a twenty-day online workshop on Menorcan cuisine that attracted more than sixty students from universities across the United Kingdom and Ireland. 

The development of Catalan studies at Liverpool was largely driven by Edgar Allison Peers (1891–1952), who worked as a Spanish professor at the university for three decades. 

Peers helped introduce Catalan language and culture into British academia at a time when Catalan was still largely unknown outside Spain.

Over the past hundred years, the university has introduced Catalan culture to hundreds of students through courses and events covering literature, history, politics, music, gastronomy, architecture, sport and the arts. 

The programme has also explored Catalan culture beyond Catalonia, highlighting other territories where Catalan is spoken, such as the Balearic Islands, Valencia, Andorra and parts of southern France.

The century celebrations are supported by the Ramon Llull Institute, an institution created by the Catalan government that promotes Catalan language and culture internationally and works with around 130 universities worldwide.