Symposium Translating from the Periphery: The Case of Dutch Literature

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On 14 November 2025, the annual symposium organized under the auspices of the King Willem-Alexander Chair for Low Countries Studies will take place at Liège University.

During 2025, we had the pleasure of welcoming Emeritus Professor Johan Heilbron as our guest professor. The symposium that concludes his year as a visiting professor focuses on research situated at the intersection of Translation Studies and the Sociology of Literature.
Through a series of lectures, we will explore how literature from peripheral languages finds its way into global literary circulation through translation, with particular attention to Dutch-language literature. Translation from the periphery will be approached as a space where strategic innovation can take place, with attention to concrete strategies that succeed in overcoming structural constraints. Examples include exophonic writing and self-translation, alternative publishing models, shifting forms of cultural diplomacy, and state support for literary translation, among others.

After the symposium, you are warmly invited to join us for a reception.
Participation is entirely free of charge, but registration is required.
To register, please send an email to elies.smeyers@uliege.be