This project establishes an international research network on the Dublin Gate Theatre (1928—). This avant-garde playhouse offers a case study that will significantly advance existing knowledge about the role of theatres as institutions engaging with the complexities of cultural exchange and the construction of (inter)national identities in changing, globalising societies. Bringing together international theatre experts and paving the way for interdisciplinary collaboration, the network aims to research the Gate’s role as a sanctuary of hybrid and emancipatory identity formation, in comparison with other avant garde theatres in Europe. Through expert meetings, publications and a conference it will explore three crucial aspects. Firstly, how the Gate’s dramaturgy questioned the homogenisation of Irish identities, especially in an emerging postcolonial nation. Secondly, how the Gate has invested in cosmopolitan configurations of identity by importing foreign experimental plays and techniques and by exporting productions of its Irish plays to theatres across the world. Finally, the network examines the contributions that the Gate has made to the visibility and acceptance of marginalized identities. The ubiquitous presence of women writers, editors and directors at the Gate, and its importance in creating a tolerant Dublin gay scene, testify to its engagement with contested issues of gender and sexuality. The network will launch a bibliographical digital archive and an exhibition highlighting the Gate’s function as an intercultural conduit in and beyond Europe, thereby developing and disseminating knowledge on cultural production and identity formation that can be transposed to other European contexts in a Horizon 2020 proposal.

The aim of this project is the foundation of an International Network of Irish Famine Studies.Since the past three years research on Ireland’s Great Hunger (1845-1850) has greatly expanded and taken novel directions, mapping out hitherto underexplored sources from historical, political-economical, socio-geographical, literary and cultural perspectives. This network brings together scholars conducting groundbreaking, ongoing research on the Great Irish Famine. As such it intends to stimulate the development of interdisciplinary are: comparative analyses of the media through which the legacy of the Famine was transmitted; an investigation of the imperial power structures that shaped the progression and representations of the Famine; an examination of the evolution of transatlantic and transpacific diasporas of Famine emigrants; and, finally, parallel studies of the Great Hunger and famines taking place in other temporal and geographical contexts but under analogous conditions. Through the organization of two core group meetings and a conference the network will create a platform where Famine scholars can present their research and work on joint publications which will approach the Great Hunger from interdisciplinary viewpoints and which will generate more generally applicable insights into the socio-cultural and economic contexts in which famines occur. Additionally, the network will establish an internet forum where Famine studies scholars can present their findings and where digitalized resources can be published, thereby realizing an archive through which public organizations with an interest in the Famine can have access to reliable information.

Our time is marked by regained interest in the region, explained as a response to immigration, globalisation, and identified with (eth)nostalgia and political populism. By contrast, scholarship on the 19th- and early 20th-century region has interpreted local colour, the region’s cultural representations and the literature which recorded the folklore and customs of its people, through the lens of nation building and nationalism. As such, studies have overlooked fundamental transnational dimensions of local colour, in its themes and representations, the circulation of local colour imagery and narratives across and beyond Europe, and its engagement with transnational audiences, through periodical reprints or as translations. Redefining the Region aims to examine these unexplored transnational dimensions of local colour, by studying media representations of regions and local colour fiction from the long 19th century in European and transatlantic frameworks. These materials provide unique case studies for transnational approaches: images and texts about European regions reached transnational audiences through emerging periodical cultures, dissemination of local colour fiction across Europe, and transcultural networks with North-American diasporic communities. Therefore, this project will yield groundbreaking knowledge about how past and present conceptions of the region are intertwined with negotiations of multiculturalism and globalisation. This will expand understandings of processes of identity/community construction. The project’s objectives are: 1) examining portrayals of regional-transnational dynamics (foreigners, emigrants) in illustrated periodicals and local colour fiction; 2) researching the transnational circulation and reception of European local colour imagery, reports, fiction; 3) exploring the reconstruction of European regions by the media and local colour writers across the Atlantic. Combining methodologies from identity, gender, diaspora/migration, reception studies, the project will additionally refine our knowledge of processes of cultural transfer and of the role of diasporic communities in cultural production and identity formation. The project will develop a searchable, digital repository, educational resources and virtual exhibition.

In the last decade, computer-mediated communication (CMC) has grown explosively as a means of communication. The popularity of different digital communication technologies―from text messaging (texting, SMS) and instant messaging (IMing) to Twitter, Whatsapp, and social networking sites such as Facebook and Hyves―has increased rapidly, also among children, adolescents, and young adults. Because the language used in CMC can deviate from the conventional norms of spelling, grammar, and punctuation, this has raised concerns among adults, teachers, and the media that CMC may have a detrimental effect on traditional literacy: they are afraid it may degrade youngsters? reading, writing, or spelling skills. Linguists, on the other hand, point out what they see as positive aspects of using CMC, such as increased exposure to text, increased motivation to read and write, and increased phonological and metalinguistic awareness. Previous empirical studies into the effects of CMC on literacy exhibit a mixed pattern of results. The proposed project aims to bring order into this chaos of opinions and findings by further investigating the impact of CMC on literacy in four subprojects: theoretical research, corpus research, correlational research, and experimental research. The project will scrutinize register differences between the informal ?texting system? used in CMC and the more formal ?school system? used at school, it will investigate whether interference occurs between these two language systems, and it will study the effect of factors such as youngsters? educational level and age group on this interference. Furthermore, this project will overcome various limitations of previous studies: it will include Dutch participants, it will consider not just texting and IMing but also other forms of CMC, it will reconceptualize the notion of literacy in view of the technological developments of this digital age, and it will explore the causal relationship between CMC and literacy. The Centre for Language Studies at Radboud University Nijmegen would be happy to facilitate the empirical research. The proposed PhD-candidate is enthusiastic and eager to tackle the challenges presented by this project, so that she can finally apply the knowledge she has gained in the many theoretical and applied linguistics courses she has completed during her Bachelor?s studies, her first Master?s studies, and her current Research Master?s programme―all of which makes her the right person for this project.

Europe’s recent crises have sparked Euro-scepticism and anti-immigration sentiments. Heritages of Hunger aimed to overcome divisions by reassessing education about famines (1845-1947) and developing resources to strengthen trans-European heritage consciousness. The project, led by Radboud University, Wageningen University & Research and NIOD, investigated famine legacies in textbooks, museums, and commemorations, highlighting resilience and transnational solidarity. It created educational modules, a digital exhibition, and a database of famine legacies. Surveys and interviews with educators informed the development of resources to foster historical empathy and transnational identities. The project culminated in policy recommendations and tested educational materials.