Dr Daniel Newman will take part in the upcoming Recipes and Gastronomy as Cultural Heritage workshop (University of Gastronomic Sciences, Italy, 22–25 October 2025). The event, part of the EU-Horizon RELISH project, explores how recipes evolve and shape our shared culinary heritage.

Durham MLAC’s Dr Dario Lolli, currently in Japan with a Leverhulme International Fellowship, is serving on the Film Critics’ jury for this year’s Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival — a leading event bringing Japanese animation and culture to audiences across Wales.

Durham University’s Professor Tom Wynn recently visited the City of London School for Girls to share his insights on studying Modern Languages. Drawing on his research in early modern French theatre and culture, he inspired students to think about how language learning opens up new perspectives, global experiences, and exciting career paths.

A vibrant week of events (20–23 October 2025) will take place across Durham, exploring Black history, reparative justice, and decolonial thought. Organised as part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science, the programme brings together scholars, students, and community members for walking tours, film screenings, and keynote lectures that highlight critical conversations around race, memory, and historical responsibility.

Dr Alexis Radisoglou, Associate Professor in German, will deliver a keynote lecture on the occasion of the launch of a new 'Centre for Worlding Modern Languages' at the University of Bristol.

To mark Breast Cancer Awareness month this October, our colleague Abir Hamdar has shared a short video about one moment in a Lebanese woman’s cancer recovery.

The Living Texts research group hosts Mauritian author Priya Hein for an online seminar celebrating her new novel Tamarin (The Indigo Press, 2025). Hein will read from the book and discuss her work with Dr Amaleena Damlé, followed by an audience Q&A.

On 24 August, Dr Vika Ivleva explored how Pushkin and Gogol used clothing and sartorial codes to shape identity and convey aesthetic and political messages. The lecture, part of the Russian and Ukrainian Summer School at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge, drew around 60 participants and sparked lively discussion on literature, art, and historical culture.

Dr Rosi Song, Professor of Hispanic Studies at Durham University, is currently touring the United States with “Lost in Plain Sight: The Life and Legacy of Gaspar Cassadó” — a project that blends performance and research to rediscover the music and cultural impact of the Catalan composer. Don’t miss the final two events at Yale University (6 October) and Russell Library (7 October).

We’re hosting a new exhibition marking the centenary of China’s prestigious Palace Museum.

An event organised by Italian Studies in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures. Screening and discussion of Fred Kuwornu’s film uncovering the hidden histories of Black Africans in Renaissance Europe. Part of Black History Month, sponsored by the Durham EDI Fund.

Hispanic Studies colleagues Penelope Johnson and Lara Escudero-Baztan have been shortlisted for the Blended & Presence Learning Award at the QS Reimagine Education Awards 2025 for their project Empowering Students: Integrating Online Language Exchanges into Higher Education.