Association of German Studies in Great Britain and Ireland

⌛ Only a few hours left to get those abstracts in...

More details including the full letter can be found here: ags.ac.uk/ags-sends-jo...

A petition to support our colleagues at Heriot-Watt can be found here: heriotwatt.web.ucu.org.uk/2026/02/05/s...

Jointly with the Chair of W+IGS and the President of the GLA, the President of the AGS, @pdavies.bsky.social, has sent a letter to the Principal of Heriot-Watt University opposing proposed staff cuts to the Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies and threats to close German and Chinese.

🚨 The deadline for submitting papers for the AGS conference is fast approaching 🚨

If you are intending on submitting an abstract, do so by Friday!

94th AGS Conference will take place at University of Glasgow, 26-28 August 2026.

**Call for Papers has now been published **

Details and full CfP here: ags.ac.uk/conferences/...

Deadline for abstracts: 20 February 2026

Big thank you to the organising committee & esp @herrehrig.bsky.social 🙏🙏🙏🙏

Learning German has many benefits for young people – and it’s not as hard as its reputation suggests Learning a language gives you unique insights into different cultures, societies and perspectives.

Happy #ShoutOutForGerman week! Learning #German has lots of benefits, it’s fun and not as hard as some may think: theconversation.com/learning-ger... @uk.theconversation.com @goethe-institut-uk.bsky.social @daad-uk-ireland.bsky.social @uk.diplo.de @ags-gbi.bsky.social @britgerassoc.bsky.social

On the first Monday morning of 2026, we wish all members a productive and rewarding year ahead! We look forward to facing ongoing and new challenges together, to the highs and lows of teaching and research, and to the conversations and collaborations with colleagues that sustain us and our field…

Exciting news - details of next year's AGS conference, which will be held in Glasgow, will be published this week!

More to follow here soon too but in the meantime keep your eyes on your inboxes!

Thanks @Prof Godela Weiss-Sussex for sharing first 🙏

The latest threat to UK modern languages is yet another faux pas Nottingham and Leicester are taking a swing at language departments. But those proposing closures have taken their eye off the ball, say four linguists

Insightful article by fellow ML scholars Wendy Ayres-Bennett, Charles Burdett, Emma Cayley and Marcela Cazzoli regards the proposed cuts at Nottingham and Leicester

www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/late...

The full text of the letter can be found on the AGS website here: ags.ac.uk/joint-letter...

In response to recent news of the University of Nottingham's devastating plan to cut modern languages degrees, the AGS President (@pdavies.bsky.social) has sent a joint letter of protest to the UoN VC and the Chair of University Council on behalf of the AGS, W+IGS and the GLA.

Link to the letter 👇

The German Language Association (GLA) -
a platform for educators specialised in German
language teaching in HE in the UK and Ireland.

More info here: www.germanlanguageassociation.org

Women+ in German Studies Blog for women+ Germanists in Great Britain, Ireland and beyond, supporting them in all aspects of their professional life

Women+ in German Studies (W+IGS) is an organisation for Women+ Germanists in Great Britain, Ireland and beyond, supporting them in all aspects of their professional life.

More info here: womeningermanstudies.wordpress.com

@wigsblog.bsky.social

Association German Studies The Association for German Studies in Great Britain and Ireland (AGS) is the biggest professional association for university-level German Studies in Great Britain and Ireland.

The Association for German Studies in Great Britain and Ireland (AGS) is the biggest professional association for university-level German Studies in Great Britain and Ireland.

More info here: AGS.ac.uk

The statement can also be found here on the AGS website: ags.ac.uk/statement-on...

News about the proposed cuts can be found here: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

...We offer our solidarity to the colleagues and friends who are affected and are ready to provide support and backing as and when necessary.

Peter Davies, Anna Saunders (AGS)
Christiane Schönfeld (W+IGS)
Ulrike Bavendiek (GLA)"

The statement in full:

"We are writing on behalf of the AGS, W+IGS and the German Language Association to express our shock at the proposed closure of Modern Languages degrees at the Universities of Nottingham and Leicester....

The AGS's President (@pdavies.bsky.social) and VP (@profannasaunders.bsky.social) have put out a joint statement with Women+ in German Studies and the German Language Association in response to today's announcement of the University of Nottingham's plan to close all modern language degrees.

✊🧵

ags.ac.uk/conferences/...

Photo of Prof Natasha Kelly

Happy to announce that a recording of the "President's Guest" event at the AGS 2025 conference in Oxford last month is now available to stream on the AGS website.

The event saw writer, academic, artist & activist Prof Natasha A. Kelly in conversation with Dr Kirstin Gwyer.

Link below👇

Safe travels to all colleagues who attended #AGS2025! Thanks for coming and see you in Glasgow next year… 👋

As the final sessions come to a close, #AGS2025 approaches its end. First to lunch but then final farewells and departures.

Huge thanks to all of the Oxford colleagues who helped organise the conference and thanks too to all of the staff at St John’s College.

Thanks for having us! 🙏🙏

Great to hear all the good news relayed by AGS VP @profannasaunders.bsky.social in the business meeting: so many new appointments, completed PhDs and prizes won by colleagues in German Studies in the UK and Ireland! 👏👏👏👏

Great to see so many delegates bright and early at the AGS Business Meeting this morning.

Thanks to AGS president @pdavies.bsky.social for his address and leadership. Peter called for members to contribute to a discussion over the coming year about the identity and direction of the association…

An audience stands listening to a speaker on stage

An audience equipped with Austrian wine listens as Henrike Lähnemann begins the festivities around the opening of the exhibition “German in the World” at the Taylor Institution #AGS2025

@ags-gbi.bsky.social snippets

The front of a classroom with the panel’s two co-chairs standing next to a television screen

Last session of talks on Day 2 at #AGS2025 is (for me and all the other delegates packing the Prestwich Room) the first of two panels on Black Literature and Culture in German…

Refreshed by lentil shepherds pie, Day 2 of #AGS2025 continues apace! Hard decisions with so many excellent parallel panels… 🤔

An excellent first session - for me a parallel panel exploring some of the exciting opportunities for German Studies offered by the Environmental Humanities. Now, coffee! ☕️☕️