The Centre for World Literatures at the University of Leeds was founded in 2014 to coincide with the introduction of the new BA degree in English and Comparative Literature. Its role is to oversee research and teaching activities in collaboration with colleagues in Leeds and with our national and international partners.
The Centre promotes the study of literature from around the world, exploring the intersections between literature and cultural studies, history, sociology, performance, politics, translation studies and other art forms, such as music and the visual arts. It draws on a wide range of research and teaching expertise across the University, particularly from the School of English and the School of Language, Cultures and Societies. Rather than considering ‘world literature’ as a fixed field of study, it focuses on the different ways in which the concept can be understood, arguing for a pluralist and polycentric view of world literatures that takes into account different and sometimes competing perspectives.
The Centre’s members work on a variety of different literatures and periods, from antiquity through the Middle Ages to contemporary literature from around the world. We have particular interests in the areas of cosmopolitanism, law, memory, postcolonialism, transnationalism, trauma and reception.
