European Society for the Study of English
Encyclopedia
Founded in 1990 in Rome, the European Society for the Study of English (ESSE) is the largest and most comprehensive organization for university
teachers and researchers in English Studies
, including literature
, linguistics
, and cultural studies
, throughout Europe
. The Society has more than 7,000 members. It is an association (Verein) conformable to articles 60ff of the Swiss Civil Code (ZGB) with its seat in Basle.
), Austrian Association for University Teachers of English (Austria
), Belgian Association of Anglicists in Higher Education (Belgium
), Bulgarian Society of British Studies (Bulgaria
), Hrvatsko drustvo anglistickih studija (Croatia
), Cypriot Society for the Study of English (Cyprus
), Czech Association for the Study of English (Czech Republic
), Nordic Association for English Studies (Denmark
and Norway
), Finnish Society for the Study of English (Finland
), Société des Anglicistes de l'Enseignement Supérieur (France
), Deutscher Anglistenverband (Germany
), Hellenic Association for the Study of English (Greece
), Hungarian Society for the Study of English (Hungary
), NAES ([Republic of Ireland]), Associazione Italiana di Anglistica (Italy
), Lithuanian Association of University Teachers of English (Lithuania
), Zdruzenie na Anglisti na Makedonija (Macedonia), Association for the Study of English in Malta (Malta
), Polish Association for the Study of English (Poland
), Associação Portuguesa de Estudos Anglo-Americanos (Portugal
), Romanian Society for English and American Studies (Romania
), Russian Association for English Studies (Russia
), Udruzenje anglista Jugoslavije (Serbia
and Montenegro
), Slovenska asociacia pre studium anglictiny (Slovakia
), Slovensko Drustvo za Angleske Studije (Slovenia
), Asociación Española de Estudios Anglo-Norteamericanos (Spain
), SWESSE (Sweden
), Swiss Association of University Teachers of English (Switzerland
), English Language and Literature Research Association (Turkey
), Ukrainian Society for the Study of English (Ukraine
), and The Council for College and University English (United Kingdom
). ASSE, the Albanian Society for the Study of English (Albania
) has been accepted as a full member of ESSE as from 1st January 2011.
). The President leads an Executive which also includes a Secretary (Slávka Tomáščíková) and Treasurer (Tim Caudery). The Executive meets regularly with the ESSE Board, which consists of representatives from each of the national organizations.
, published by Routledge
.
(1991), Bordeaux
(1993), Glasgow
(1995), Debrecen
(1997), Helsinki
(2000), Strasbourg
(2002), Zaragoza
(2004) and London
(2006).http://ies.sas.ac.uk/events/conferences/2006/ESSE8/index.htm The Ninth International Conference of the European Society for the Study of English (ESSE-9) took place at the University of Aarhus
in 2008, with guest speakers including Steven Connor
, Nigel Fabb, Linton Kwesi Johnson
, Toril Moi
, Mark Turner
, and Jenny Uglow
.http://www.esse2008.dk The 2010 Conference of the European Society for the Study of Engish (ESSE-10) took place in Turin in 2010. In 2012, the ESSE-11 Conference will take place in Istanbul, and be organized by Boğaziçi University and by IDEA.
The European Society for the Study of English and The British Council
. "A Survey of English Studies in Europe at the Turn of the Century". Comp. Martin A. Kayman with the assistance of Filomena Mesquita. The European English Messenger 14.1 (Spring 2005): 15-30.
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
teachers and researchers in English Studies
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
, including literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
, and cultural studies
Cultural studies
Cultural studies is an academic field grounded in critical theory and literary criticism. It generally concerns the political nature of contemporary culture, as well as its historical foundations, conflicts, and defining traits. It is, to this extent, largely distinguished from cultural...
, throughout Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The Society has more than 7,000 members. It is an association (Verein) conformable to articles 60ff of the Swiss Civil Code (ZGB) with its seat in Basle.
National associations
ESSE is an alliance of the following European national associations: Armenian Association for the Study of English (ArmeniaArmenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
), Austrian Association for University Teachers of English (Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
), Belgian Association of Anglicists in Higher Education (Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
), Bulgarian Society of British Studies (Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
), Hrvatsko drustvo anglistickih studija (Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
), Cypriot Society for the Study of English (Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
), Czech Association for the Study of English (Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
), Nordic Association for English Studies (Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
), Finnish Society for the Study of English (Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
), Société des Anglicistes de l'Enseignement Supérieur (France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
), Deutscher Anglistenverband (Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
), Hellenic Association for the Study of English (Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
), Hungarian Society for the Study of English (Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
), NAES ([Republic of Ireland]), Associazione Italiana di Anglistica (Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
), Lithuanian Association of University Teachers of English (Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
), Zdruzenie na Anglisti na Makedonija (Macedonia), Association for the Study of English in Malta (Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
), Polish Association for the Study of English (Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
), Associação Portuguesa de Estudos Anglo-Americanos (Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
), Romanian Society for English and American Studies (Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
), Russian Association for English Studies (Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
), Udruzenje anglista Jugoslavije (Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
and Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
), Slovenska asociacia pre studium anglictiny (Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
), Slovensko Drustvo za Angleske Studije (Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
), Asociación Española de Estudios Anglo-Norteamericanos (Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
), SWESSE (Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
), Swiss Association of University Teachers of English (Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
), English Language and Literature Research Association (Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
), Ukrainian Society for the Study of English (Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
), and The Council for College and University English (United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
). ASSE, the Albanian Society for the Study of English (Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
) has been accepted as a full member of ESSE as from 1st January 2011.
President, Executive, and Board
The past Presidents of ESSE have been Piero Boitani (1990-95), Helmut Bonheim (1995-2001), and Adolphe Haberer (2001-07). The current President is Prof. Fernando Galván (University of AlcaláUniversity of Alcalá
The University of Alcalá is a public university located in Alcalá de Henares, a city 35 km northeast of Madrid in Spain. Founded in 1499, it was moved in 1836 to Madrid. In 1977, the University was reopened in its same historical buildings...
). The President leads an Executive which also includes a Secretary (Slávka Tomáščíková) and Treasurer (Tim Caudery). The Executive meets regularly with the ESSE Board, which consists of representatives from each of the national organizations.
Activities
The activities of ESSE include providing a network for communication between individuals working in English Studies, publication of journals, allocation of bursaries to support young academics, book prizes to outstanding works in the field of English studies, and regular international conferences.Publications
ESSE publishes a biannual journal, The European English Messenger, edited by John A. Stotesbury, and is closely associated with the European Journal of English StudiesEuropean Journal of English Studies
The European Journal of English Studies is a peer-reviewed academic journal focusing on English language, literature and culture, established in 1997 and published by Routledge. It is the official journal of the European Society for the Study of English. The current editors in chief are Martin A....
, published by Routledge
Routledge
Routledge is a British publishing house which has operated under a succession of company names and latterly as an academic imprint. Its origins may be traced back to the 19th-century London bookseller George Routledge...
.
Conference
The Society holds a biennial conference with approximately 400-700 participants. The conference consists of seminars, round tables, lectures and other events covering all aspects of English Studies including literature, linguistics and cultural studies. ESSE conferences have taken place in NorwichNorwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
(1991), Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
(1993), Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
(1995), Debrecen
Debrecen
Debrecen , is the second largest city in Hungary after Budapest. Debrecen is the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar county.- Name :...
(1997), Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
(2000), Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
(2002), Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
(2004) and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
(2006).http://ies.sas.ac.uk/events/conferences/2006/ESSE8/index.htm The Ninth International Conference of the European Society for the Study of English (ESSE-9) took place at the University of Aarhus
University of Aarhus
Aarhus University , located in the city of Aarhus, Denmark, is Denmark's second oldest and second largest university...
in 2008, with guest speakers including Steven Connor
Steven Connor
Steven Connor is the Academic Director of the London Consortium and Professor of Modern Literature and Theory at Birkbeck, University of London.- Biography :* Born: Bognor Regis, Sussex, in 1955....
, Nigel Fabb, Linton Kwesi Johnson
Linton Kwesi Johnson
Linton Kwesi Johnson is a UK-based dub poet. He became the second living poet, and the only black poet, to be published in the Penguin Classics series. His poetry involves the recitation of his own verse in Jamaican Patois over dub-reggae, usually written in collaboration with renowned British...
, Toril Moi
Toril Moi
Toril Moi is James B. Duke Professor of Literature and Romance Studies at Duke University. Previously she held positions as a lecturer in French at the University of Oxford and as Director of the Center for Feminist Research at the University of Bergen, Norway...
, Mark Turner
Mark Turner (cognitive scientist)
Mark Turner is a cognitive scientist, linguist, and author. He is Institute Professor and Professor of Cognitive Science at Case Western Reserve University, where he was for two years Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences...
, and Jenny Uglow
Jenny Uglow
Jennifer Sheila Uglow OBE is a British biographer, critic and publisher. The editorial director of Chatto & Windus, she has written critically acclaimed biographies of Elizabeth Gaskell, William Hogarth, Thomas Bewick and the Lunar Society, among others, and has also compiled a women's...
.http://www.esse2008.dk The 2010 Conference of the European Society for the Study of Engish (ESSE-10) took place in Turin in 2010. In 2012, the ESSE-11 Conference will take place in Istanbul, and be organized by Boğaziçi University and by IDEA.
Further reading
Engler, Balz, and Renate Haas, eds. The European History of English Studies: Contributions towards the History of a Discipline. Leicester: The English Association, for ESSE, 2000.The European Society for the Study of English and The British Council
British Council
The British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
. "A Survey of English Studies in Europe at the Turn of the Century". Comp. Martin A. Kayman with the assistance of Filomena Mesquita. The European English Messenger 14.1 (Spring 2005): 15-30.