Anglo-Catalan Society

The Anglo-Catalan Society (ACS) is a private British academic institution that brings together scholars based at British and Irish universities who focus on the study of Catalan culture, in a role analogous to that of the North American Catalan Society (NACS), which was founded later, in 1978. Its stated purpose is to promote awareness and appreciation of Catalan culture in Britain and Ireland and to encourage cultural relations with the Catalan-speaking communities. Membership is open to all persons who share the fundamental objectives of the Society. While it serves as a professional forum for those involved in teaching and research in Catalan studies, equal importance is attached to bringing together Catalans from all over the Catalan-speaking territories and people with an interest in Catalan language, history, culture and society. The Society traces its origins to the post-war years, when the relationship between British Hispanists and the Catalan community in Britain grew closer. In 1948 Dr J. M. Batista i Roca was permitted to start a Catalan option within the Cambridge Tripos and taught Catalan language and literature to students of Spanish. From Cambridge he fostered the introduction of Catalan Studies into other British universities. English and Catalans initially met for lunch to discuss topics of mutual interest, but by 1954 there were enough of them sufficiently keen to link themselves formally as an association with a proper constitution. The Society was founded in 1954 in Oxford by Robert Brian Tate, Paul S. N. Russell-Gebbett, Francis William Pierce and the exiled Catalans Josep Maria Batista i Roca, Joan Mascaró i Fornés and Joan Gili i Serra. From its inception it was conceived as a clearly non-political organization, a feature preserved throughout its history, in part to counter the notion that Castilian culture was the only Hispanic culture worthy of academic attention. The main focus of its activities is the annual conference, held without interruption since the Society's foundation. These meetings are generally co-organised with university academics and take place on university campuses around Britain and Ireland, with particularly memorable conferences held in Barcelona, Eton College and the Institute of Germanic and Romance Studies in London. Programmes cover a wide diversity of topics — linguistic, historical, literary, sociological, musical and others — relating to all areas where Catalan is spoken, including Valencia, the Balearic Islands and French Catalonia. Since 1999 these have included the annual Joan Gili Memorial lecture, in honour of one of the founder members. The Society also promotes exchanges between students and academics of both countries, has offered scholarships and project grants, cooperates closely with the Institute of Catalan Studies, offered an annual Jocs Florals prize until 1975, and began a collection of monographic publications from its journal, the Journal of Catalan Studies (1977–). It was recognized in 1986 with the Ramon Llull prize and in 1992 received the Creu de Sant Jordi. By 1976 it had more than one hundred members, and by 2006 it counted 350 members.

The origins of the Anglo-Catalan Society lie in the changing position of Catalan studies in British universities in the 1940s. Until well into that decade, Castilian enjoyed a monopoly of Spanish Studies in British universities. Catalan was only offered at the Universities of Liverpool and Belfast, thanks to the interest of Professors Allison Peers and González Llubera, and even there the teaching of Catalan language and literature was carried out at a very basic level. There was also no serious school of Spanish-American studies in the UK at that time, so strong and widespread was the hold of peninsular Spanish and of its influence in the universities. However, the Spanish Civil War and its result brought into play forces which were not entirely favourable to the maintenance of Castilian cultural domination. Thanks to the news received daily from Spain, the British people, and amongst them members of the universities, were becoming better informed about Spain and took greater interest in the variety of cultures it contained. The arrival in London in 1938 of Dr Josep Maria Batista i Roca as the special envoy of President Companys, and his exile in this country after the war was over, had an important effect upon the development of Catalan studies there. Together with other Catalans, both exiles and previous residents in England, he set about creating a feeling of solidarity with the cause of the Catalan people, and a sense of injustice at the manifest persecution to which Catalan culture was being subjected in the very difficult years following the end of the Civil War. The historian Ferran Soldevila pointed to what he called “the Anglo-Catalan connection, which is one of the features of our international politics, parallel to the traditional Franco-Castilian alliance”. It was in this spirit, the spirit of traditional Anglo-Catalan rapport, that the Society was formed. In 1948 Dr J. M. Batista i Roca was permitted to start a Catalan option within the Cambridge Tripos and he himself taught Catalan language and literature to students of Spanish. From Cambridge he fostered the introduction of Catalan Studies into other British universities. He was later to award scholarships to a small number of students to go to Catalonia to further their studies of Catalan culture. Some of those pupils of Batista’s were later to hold chairs at British universities in which Catalan studies flourish. In those dark post-war years the relationship between British Hispanists and the Catalan community in Britain grew closer and closer until there emerged a group of people with a common interest in Catalan culture. It was around this relationship that the Anglo-Catalan Society was formed. To begin with, English and Catalans simply met for lunch and discussed topics of mutual interest, but by 1954 there were enough of them sufficiently keen to link themselves formally as an association with a proper constitution setting out the structure of the new Society and specifying its objectives. The Society was founded in 1954 in Oxford by Robert Brian Tate, Paul S. N. Russell-Gebbett, Francis William Pierce and the exiled Catalans Josep Maria Batista i Roca, Joan Mascaró i Fornés and Joan Gili i Serra, with the purpose of protecting Catalan culture in Great Britain and fostering good relations between academics of both countries. From its inception the Society was conceived of as a clearly non-political organization, and this feature has been preserved throughout its history. The reasoning behind this policy lay in the principle which in part guided its founding members: to counter the notion that Castilian culture was the only Hispanic culture worthy of the attention of academic study. With the Franco regime at its height it was of course quite possible that such a notion could easily have become entrenched. Any attempt therefore to give the Society a political character could soon have led to its failure, since the majority of its members were also engaged professionally in teaching Castilian. The Society's first presidents were Francis William Pierce (1955–1957), Robert Brian Tate (1958–1962), Arthur Hubert Terry (1962–1965), D. W. Lomax (1966–1969), Joan L. Gili (1969–1973) and Robert Pring-Mill (1974–1976). By 1976 it counted more than one hundred members. Its activities have never been limited exclusively to its annual meetings, for another of its aims has always been to keep in close contact with all aspects of Catalan culture. The Society regards as of prime importance the promotion of exchanges between students and academics of both countries. One of its tasks from its earliest times was to offer assistance to young Catalans who wished to pursue their studies in Britain. This was consolidated for a time in the form of an Annual Scholarship, the value of which was estimated to allow a young scholar to come for a stay of about one month in order to carry out a specific piece of research, preferably, but not necessarily, one with an ‘Anglo-Catalan’ theme. In 1984 the Society also agreed to act as the agent of the Generalitat de Catalunya in Great Britain in the awarding of scholarships offered to young foreign scholars to enable them to pursue study in Catalonia. Following the attendance of the President of Catalonia, M. H. Sr Jordi Pujol, at the London meeting in 1988, the Batista i Roca scholarships were established, commemorating the life's work of the main founder and funded by the Generalitat de Catalunya. These awards served to promote the exchange of Catalan and British scholars at post-graduate level in the fields of the Humanities and the Social Sciences. The scheme was run jointly by the Society and the Generalitat and began in 1991 with seven scholars, rising to ten the following year. More recently, the scholarship was re-launched as a project grant in order to be able to support a wider range of researchers. The posthumous endowment of a Catalan Visiting Fellowship by Dr Batista himself at Fitzwilliam College also helped to strengthen these exchanges. The Society had an important role in the organization of the International Colloquium on Catalan Language and Literature (Cambridge, 1973), during which the document of the International Association of Catalan Language and Literature was prepared and approved. It offered an annual Jocs Florals prize until 1975 and began in 1980 a collection of monographic publications from its journal, the Journal of Catalan Studies (1977–). It was recognized in 1986 with the Ramon Llull prize and in 1992 received the Creu de Sant Jordi. By 2006 it counted 350 members. In 2011 it had already organized its 57th conference. The main focus of its activities remains the annual conference, held without interruption since the Society's foundation, generally co-organised with university academics and taking place on university campuses around Britain and Ireland, with memorable conferences also held in Barcelona, Eton College and the Institute of Germanic and Romance Studies in London. Since 1999 these have included the annual Joan Gili Memorial lecture, in honour of one of the founder members.

• 2011

  The Society had organized its 57th conference.

• 2006

  The Society counted 350 members.

• 1999

  The annual Joan Gili Memorial lecture was established.

• 1992

  The Society received the Creu de Sant Jordi.

• 1991

  The Batista i Roca scholarship scheme began with seven scholars, rising to ten the following year.

• 1988

  The President of Catalonia, M. H. Sr Jordi Pujol, attended the London meeting; the Batista i Roca scholarships were subsequently established.

• 1986

  The Society was recognized with the Ramon Llull prize.

• 1984

  The Society agreed to act as the agent of the Generalitat de Catalunya in Great Britain in the awarding of scholarships for study in Catalonia.

• 1980

  The Society began a collection of monographic publications from its journal.

• 1977

  The Journal of Catalan Studies was launched.

• 1976

  The Society counted more than one hundred members.

• 1975

  The Society offered an annual Jocs Florals prize until 1975.

• 1973

  The Society played an important role in organizing the International Colloquium on Catalan Language and Literature (Cambridge, 1973), during which the document of the International Association of Catalan Language and Literature was prepared and approved.

• 1955

  Francis William Pierce became the first president (1955–1957).

• 1954

  The Anglo-Catalan Society was founded in Oxford by Robert Brian Tate, Paul S. N. Russell-Gebbett, Francis William Pierce and the exiled Catalans Josep Maria Batista i Roca, Joan Mascaró i Fornés and Joan Gili i Serra.

• 1948

  Dr J. M. Batista i Roca was permitted to start a Catalan option within the Cambridge Tripos and taught Catalan language and literature to students of Spanish.

A non-political academic society promoting Catalan language and culture in Britain and Ireland.

• Annual conference

  Held without interruption since the Society's foundation, generally co-organised with university academics and taking place on university campuses around Britain and Ireland.

• Journal of Catalan Studies

  The Society's journal, launched in 1977, from which a collection of monographic publications began in 1980.

• Joan Gili Memorial lecture

  An annual lecture held since 1999 in honour of one of the founder members.

• Batista i Roca scholarships

  Established after the 1988 London meeting, funded by the Generalitat de Catalunya, to promote exchange of Catalan and British scholars at post-graduate level.

• Annual Scholarship

  A scholarship allowing a young scholar to come for a stay of about one month to carry out a specific piece of research.

1. 1Anglo-Catalan Society websiteanglo-catalan.org
2. 2Historyanglo-catalan.org
3. 3Originsanglo-catalan.org
4. 4Activitiesanglo-catalan.org
5. 5Anglo-Catalan Society - Wikidatawikidata.org
6. 6Anglo-Catalan Society - Wikipedia (Spanish)es.wikipedia.org