21-23 January 2026 | The Hague (Leiden University Campus)
The confirmed keynote speakers are Prof. Jaco Barnard-Naudé (University of Cape Town), Dr. Brigitte Herremans (Human Rights Centre, Ghent University) and Prof. Peter Schneck (Osnabrück University).

10 April 2026 | Utrecht University
The twenty-first century continues to unfold as an era marked by intersecting crises—climate catastrophes, political and economic instability, public health emergencies, wars, and mass displacement. In the context of Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA), these challenges are deeply felt, not only in material terms but also in the political, emotional, ethical, and relational fabrics of everyday life. We invite contributions to a symposium that approaches the SWANA region not through familiar tropes of crisis but through the quieter, more enduring work of care, vulnerability, and solidarity.

April – June 2026 | University of Amsterdam
This course focuses on contemporary debates in life writing as a newly emerging field across disciplines. Life writing is an umbrella term for a wide range of writings about one’s own or someone else’s life, such as biography, autobiography, memoir, diary, bio-fiction and travel writing. In the course we will explore various life stories of men and women in the 20th and 21st centuries, who each had their own unique set of life experiences, beliefs and perceptions.

The call for the 2025 OSL Awards is now open!
Just like last year, the awards consist of five categories: ‘published scholarly book’, ‘published article’, ‘PhD dissertation’, ‘ReMA thesis’ and ‘valorization‘. The Awards are intended to acknowledge original and innovative contributions to the field of literary studies and to highlight the work of talented OSL students and scholars. Each OSL Award comes with prize money of € 500,-.