Throughout 2026, the University of Liverpool will celebrate the centenary of its Catalan Studies education and research, the first institution outside Spain to reach this milestone.
Catalan Studies at Liverpool was first established by Edgar Allison Peers (1891–1952), Gilmour Professor of Spanish at the University for thirty years and a pioneer of Spanish and Catalan Studies in the United Kingdom.
Over the past century, the University of Liverpool has introduced hundreds of students to the Catalan language and its culture through literature, history, politics, music, gastronomy, architecture, sport and the performing arts.
To mark this celebration, the University has planned a year-long programme of activities that extends beyond the campus and into the heart of the city, with the aim of bringing Catalan culture not only to students, but also to British society and to the Catalan community abroad.
Catalan music icons to perform in city
The central events will take place in Liverpool on 10 and 11 March and will consist of a concert by famed Catalan duo The Tyets and an academic day dedicated to Catalan language and culture, as part of the annual Peers Symposium organised by the Hispanic Studies section since 2009.
The Tyets will perform on Tuesday 10 March at the city’s legendary Cavern Club, famed for hosting the early performances of Liverpool’s most internationally renowned band, The Beatles. Oriol de Ramon and Xavier Coca present one of the most prominent projects in contemporary Catalan music, combining urban sounds with distinctive cultural references. Their success has gone beyond the local market, placing the Catalan language in spaces where, until only a few years ago, it had very limited visibility. Hits such as Coti x Coti and the album Èpic Solete have established the band as a generational reference point and a key force in the renewal of the Catalan music scene.
Academic gathering to celebrate Catalan language and culture
The following day, the Peers Symposium will feature talks on a range of topics, including the work of Salvador Espriu and the current situation of Catalan in Northern Catalonia. The writer and translator Carlota Gurt, Peers Visiting Writer for 2026, will deliver the keynote address, focusing on the importance of translation for the international visibility of Catalan literature. Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liverpool, Professor Tim Jones will welcome delegates to the symposium, which will include a round-table discussion with former lecturers, alumni and current students. Catalan Government representatives will also join the celebrations.
University of Liverpool Vice-Chancellor Professor Tim Jones said: “2026 brings a significant milestone for the University of Liverpool as we celebrate 100 years of Catalan Studies—the first institution outside Spain to reach this centenary. Since Edgar Allison Peers established the discipline here in the 1920s, Liverpool has been proud to champion the study and promotion of Catalan language, culture and scholarship. This centenary will be marked by academic exchange, cultural celebration and engagement with our partners in Catalonia.”
The history of Catalan Studies at Liverpool
The tradition of Catalan lectors at the University of Liverpool began with Ferran Soldevila in the late 1920s and served a dual purpose: to broaden the training of academic staff beyond the restricted Spanish academic sphere of the time, and to contribute to the dissemination of the Catalan language and literature in a particularly adverse context. After Soldevila, the position was held by figures such as Joan Triadú, Jordi Carbonell, Jordi Rubió i Lois, Ramon Gubern, Josep Fontana, Enric Lluch, Jordi Nadal, Joaquim Molas, Joaquim Marco, Ramon Sumoy, Xavier Serrahima, Joan Lluís Marfany and Joaquim Nadal.
A year-long celebration
The centenary celebrations include an extensive programme of activities to be rolled out throughout the year, including a Menorcan cooking workshop, film forums focusing on Catalan cinema, an academic day dedicated to poetry and talks on music. Plans are also underway to establish partnerships with the Faculty of Philology and Communication at the University of Barcelona to develop joint projects.
These events are supported by the Institut Ramon Llull, which promotes the teaching of Catalan at universities and higher education institutions through the Xarxa Llull, a network comprising around 130 universities worldwide with more than 4,000 enrolled students.
Other supporters include the Instituto Cervantes in Manchester, the Spanish Consulate in Manchester, the Spanish Embassy in the United Kingdom, and the Government of Catalonia’s Delegation to the United Kingdom and Ireland.