This Group develops and promotes specialised research on English Literature from the Middle Ages to the present, addressing its impact on other art forms, such as music and cinema, among others. By using an interdisciplinary perspective, it also aims to discuss the status of English literature throughout the times, as a powerful means of expressing social, political and artistic sensibilities, and to inquire about its relevance today as a pivotal tool to question global world dilemmas. The Group also fosters research on literary theory, criticism and history and encourages the translation of English literary texts into Portuguese.
Other main goals include:
- Organising national and international events (conferences, seminars, workshops, among others) to facilitate the discussion of current research results and of future lines of inquiry;
- Promoting collaborative national and international research-networks that produce recognised scientific and social impact projects to be funded by FCT, the Portuguese national funding agency for science, research and technology, and by the European Union;
- Increasing the number of research results in double-blind peer-reviewed publications in traditional academic outlets and the innovative digital media, both in Portugal and abroad;
- Encouraging PhD and MA students to join the Research Group, providing them with the necessary tools to become specialists in English Studies and facilitate their intellectual collaboration at a national and international level;
- Promoting English Studies in pre-university education by establishing initiatives of scientific nature in cooperation with secondary schools and in lifelong learning.
Our current research includes:
- Voices from the Ancient and Medieval World – the Group’s new project, developed with the Centre for Classical Studies, intends to foster research on how these two underlying sources of European culture and thought have affected English literature, language and art.
- Project in Medical Humanities (PMH), which aims to promote an emerging interdisciplinary field by using the knowledge and methods traditionally associated with the arts and humanities in the general area of health sciences and in close collaboration with health care professionals.
Official Website: http://humanidadesmedicas.letras.ulisboa.pt/en/project/
- Messengers from the Stars, which focuses on the study of Fantasy and Science Fiction as means of reflecting about contemporary anxieties. This area of research fosters an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal, offering academic articles, reviews, and providing an outlet for a wide range of creative work inspired by Fantasy and Science Fiction.
Official Website: https://messengersfromthestars.letras.ulisboa.pt/
