UCSL is holding its annual PG Symposium, to coincide with its 2026 AGM (8 May, University of Glasgow).

This is an opportunity for Scottish Lit PGRs to hear and present new research, and to connect socially. Emilie Legrand and Calum Esler, PGRs at Glasgow and Stirling, have collaborated on the theme and CFP below.

(Mis)Placing Scottish Literature

‘The local is the international. The national is the parochial.’ – Tom Leonard

Can you place your research? The position of place may at first seem obvious in a discipline calling itself ‘Scottish Literature’, but beneath the simple national framing lies a far more complex relationship with place, space, and nation. What is Scottish about the texts we study? What makes a writer Scottish? Is it better to refer to your research as ‘Glaswegian’, ‘Aberdonian’, or ‘Orcadian’? When does a text become international? Is it all connected to book sales? What does parochialism mean in a global world? What does the nation mean when the international order disintegrates?

The Universities Committee of Scottish Literature invites postgraduates at partner institutions working on Scottish literature (broadly defined) to submit proposals for a paper at our PG Symposium, held at the University of Glasgow, from 2-5pm, on Friday 8 May 2026. We look forward to meeting in person, but hybrid attendance will also be an option; please get in touch to arrange.

Abstracts are welcomed from any area and period of Scottish literary studies. Papers could include but are not limited to:

• Texts/writers interested in space and/or place
• Scotland and Empire
• Scottish diaspora
• Gender, nation, and belonging
• Speculative fiction and alternative Scotlands
• The country and the city
• The place of place in historical writing
• Translations, adaptations, and multilingualism
• Writers born in Scotland but based abroad and/or writers based but not born in Scotland
• The way a text reinforces/questions/subverts ‘Scottish’ identity
• Writers based heavily in one locality
• Travel writing
• Writers and texts disconnected from specific spaces/places
• World Literature
• Comparative approaches to Scottish writing

This symposium aims to support postgraduates at all stages in sharing and developing ideas and theories in a relaxed and welcoming environment. There will also be opportunities for informal discussion, as a priority of this event is to strengthen connections between PGs through consideration of connections between our research.

Prospective speakers should send a title, abstract (100-200 words), and a brief biography (~50 words) to cme1@stir.ac.uk by 15 March 2026.

Presenters will be contacted by early April 2026.

A number of PG travel bursaries will be available, courtesy of the Andrew Tannahill Fund. To enquire please email scott.hames@stir.ac.uk

Venue:

Studio 2, Advanced Research Centre (ARC)
11 Chapel Lane
Glasgow G11 6EW