Transmitting and Preserving Languages in the Medieval and Early Modern Mediterranean: Second International Workshop

Thursday, 4 June 2026, 9am to 5pm

The workshop explores how and why languages were taught, learned, and sustained across the diverse and shifting socio-cultural landscapes of the late medieval and early modern Mediterranean. Integrating history with historical sociolinguistics and adopting a comparative and cross-disciplinary perspective, the workshop aims to identify shared trends, comparable elements, and distinctive features in language learning and transmission. This approach offers a renewed perspective on the interconnected Mediterranean world — a region where multilingualism, mobility, and intercultural exchange were and are central to daily life. The impact of these dynamics on language teaching, preservation, and use has often been underestimated.

The event will include dedicated time for discussion and reflection, allowing participants to engage in a broader conversation about language and cultural transmission. At its core, the workshop presents the medieval and early modern Mediterranean as a space of teaching, learning, and multilingual exchange. This year, we will focus on Greek and Armenian.

Please see the programme brochure for more information. To register for online attendance, please contact Ugo Mondini at ugo.mondini@​mod-​langs.​ox.​ac.​uk

This event is sponsored by the Balliol Interdisciplinary Institute, MGSA, NAASR, OCBR, and TORCH.

Speaker(s): Valentina Calzolari (University of Geneva), Anthony Kaldellis (University of Chicago), Andrea Cuomo (University of Ghent), Benedetta Contin (Austrian Academy of Sciences), Markéta Kulhánková (Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic), Karen Hamada (University of Tokyo), Marina Bazzani (University of Oxford)

Series: Balliol Interdisciplinary Institute

Venue: Balliol College - Gillis Lecture theatre - Gillis Lecture theatre Balliol College Broad Street Oxford Oxfordshire OX1 3BJ United Kingdom

Department: Balliol College (College)

Host: Daniel Gallaher and Ugo Mondini

Register here: https://www.balliol.ox.ac.uk/events/2026/june/04/transmitting-and-preserving-languages-medieval-and-early-modern-mediterranean