Breton researchers visit
Researchers from Brittany will visit Aberystwyth and attend a special conference to discuss connections between Wales and Brittany.
In 2022 a grant was awarded by the CollEx-Persée fund to a joint project with the Centre de recherche bretonne et celtique at the University of Brest, and the National Library, to work on the important archive of material relating to Brittany and Breton culture held by the National Library of Wales, and on Welsh archives held in Brittany.
The project aims to enrich, digitise, and widen access to some of the documents held in the Breton archives in Wales. In addition researchers will link these key documents to those held in archives in Brittany and in France, and so allow a fuller picture of how Wales and Brittany have interacted over the last two centuries.
Several research trips have taken place between the two partner institutions. Two team members from Wales made research trips to the archives in Brittany (Brest University and Archives départementales in Quimper) in 2023, and groups from Brest University came to work on the Breton archive in the reading room of the National Library in Aberystwyth in February 2023 and again in June. In addition a PhD student from Brest University was hosted for three months at the Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies to allow her also to work on the archives in NLW in the context of this project. Catrin Mackie was awarded the project’s bursary to enable an early career reseracher to take part in this research. She has spent time working in the archives at Brest University and Quimper in summer 2023.
In 2024 three researchers from Wales travelled to Brest to take part in a study-day that was open to the public and hybrid in February, and seven members of the Celtic Research Centre at Brest University will visit Aberystwyth on 21 June to share their research findings in an open day conference.
Programme details available here: Wales-Brittany Forum: 21 June 2024 | University of Wales
Professor Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones, Director of CAWCS, said:
This is a very important research project that is further evidence of the strong strategic collaboration between the three partner institutions: the CRBC in Brittany, the National Library of Wales and the University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies, with each of us bringing our expertise to the table for the benefit of scholars, the heritage sector and communities in Wales, Brittany and internationally.
Ronan Calvez, former Director of the Centre de Recherche Bretonne et Celtique at the University of Brest said: ‘Researchers at the CRBC are delighted at this opportunity to work on the Breton archival holdings in Wales, a largely untapped resource that certainly merits attention. Moreover, this academic work will reinforce cross-channel links between researchers.’
‘Les chercheuses et les chercheurs du CRBC se réjouissent de travailler sur les archives bretonnes du pays de Galles, qui n’ont pour l’heure pas fait l’objet d’études et qui méritent grandement d’être valorisées. Ce projet scientifique permettra de renforcer les liens entre chercheurs, de part et d’autre de la Manche.’
Notes for Editors
Contact: Dr Angharad Elias (Admin Officer) a.elias@wales.ac.uk
1. The Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies (CAWCS) was established by the University of Wales in 1985 as a dedicated research centre conducting team-based projects on the languages, literatures, culture and history of Wales and the other Celtic countries. It is located in Aberystwyth, adjacent to the National Library of Wales, which is an internationally renowned copyright library with excellent research facilities.
2. CAWCS offers unique opportunities for postgraduate students to work alongside specialists in a dynamic and supportive environment. We welcome enquiries about MPhil/PhD topics in any of our research areas. For more information about research opportunities, or for an informal chat about possible topics, contact our Head of Graduate Studies, Dr Elizabeth Edwards: e.edwards@wales.ac.uk
3. CAWCS is the home of the Dictionary of the Welsh Language: https://www.welsh-dictionary.ac.uk/
4. ‘Centre de Recherche Bretonne et Celtique’ [Centre for Breton and Celtic Research], University of Brest, Brittany, France
https://www.univ-brest.fr/crbc/. A research centre that has worked closely with CAWCS over the years.
5. The grant has been awarded by CollEx-Persée https://www.collexpersee.eu/a-propos/who-are-we/ funded by the French Government.
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