As a result of an agreement between the University of Liverpool and the University of Barcelona, starting in 2026, the British institution will annually host a conference delivered by a distinguished figure from the Catalan university, across any field of knowledge. The inaugural edition will feature the Rector of the University of Barcelona, Joan Guàrdia Olmos, who will deliver the lecture "European Universities in a World of Growing Tensions: Catalan Language in the University Context". The event will take place at 5:30 PM in the School of the Arts Library and will gather high-level institutional and academic representatives, including the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liverpool, Tim Jones, and the Vice-Rector for Doctoral Studies of the University of Barcelona, Maria Feliu Torruella.
Joan Guàrdia's address will reflect on the role of European universities in an international context marked by geopolitical tensions, social transformations, and new technological challenges. It will address issues such as the function of European university alliances, the defense of academic freedom, and the value of linguistic and cultural diversity. The Rector will present the case of the Catalan language as an example of preserving and promoting linguistic and cultural plurality within the European university space.
During their visit to Liverpool, Joan Guàrdia and Maria Feliu will also visit the university's Special Collections & Archives, which houses a unique collection related to the history of Catalan studies at the institution. This archive includes valuable documentary materials such as Catalan student notebooks from the 1940s and 1950s, books in Catalan, and commemorative medals, part of the exhibition "A Centenary of Catalan Studies in Liverpool".
In 1925, the University of Liverpool hosted the first international readership of Catalan, held by historian Ferran Soldevila, making the institution a pioneer in the university teaching of the Catalan language outside Catalan-speaking territories. With this new annual lecture, the university reaffirms its commitment to Catalan studies and consolidates a century-old academic relationship.
