Welcome to the Etxepare Alan R. King Professor in Residence

Dr Harkaitz Zubiri Esnaola from the Faculty of Education, Philosophy and Anthropology of the University of the Basque Country will be the 2023 Etxepare Alan R. King Professor in Residence at the University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies.

Dr Harkaitz Zubiri Esnaola.

The Fellowship, named after the eminent linguist, the late Dr Alan R. King, is an opportunity for a scholar from the Basque Country to come to Wales to research and to contribute to teaching and knowledge exchange in these fields of sociolinguistics and language policy and planning.

Harkaitz Zubiri Esnaola will spend six weeks at the University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies in Aberystwyth, where he will develop research activities revolving around Basque sociolinguistics and language.

Professor Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones, Director of the University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies said:

“This is the second year that we have welcomed a scholar from the Basque Country to the Alan R. King Chair in Residence in Sociolinguistics, as part of the special partnership between the University and the Etxepare Basque Institute. Dr Harkaitz Zubiri’s expertise in Basque medium education is particularly timely for us in Wales. We particularly look forward to his lecture at the National Library and to the other elements in his work programme in sociolinguistics, language policy and planning to strengthen the link between Wales and the Basque Country. ”

Harkaitz Zubiri Esnaola said, “The field of education can play a crucial role in ensuring equal access to language learning for everyone. A priority challenge is to identify which educational actions make this possible. While immersion models are very supportive, they may not guarantee success for all students. By examining the status of languages such as Basque and Welsh in educational settings and exchanging relevant research findings oriented to social impact, we can better address this challenge. The Alan R. King Chair offers us an excellent platform for this endeavour, and we are already making the most of this opportunity.”

Harkaitz Zubiri Esnaola has a varied programme as part of his period as Professor in Residence in Wales. His first event will be a lecture entitled, ‘Making Basque accessible to all: exploring successful actions aimed at effective teaching and learning the language in schools’. The lecture will be held live on Thursday, 26 October, at 5.00 pm, in the Drwm, National Library of Wales, and online via Zoom.

This is a free event. Guests are requested to book in advance if they wish to attend the lecture on site at the National Library. Tea will be served at 4:30pm. Please send an RSVP to cawcs@wales.ac.uk.

To join online, please email cawcs@wales.ac.uk for the Zoom link.

Note to Editor

Contact: Prof Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones, Director of CAWCS 07590 428404. elin.jones@uwtsd.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. Its fields of research include Early Celtic Languages, Hagiography, Medieval Welsh Literature, Enlightenment and Romanticism in Wales and Europe, Welsh and British Name Studies, Welsh Lexicography, Literary Translation, Contemporary Sociolinguistics and Language Policy and Planning in Minoritized Languages. It is home the University of Wales Dictionary of the Welsh Language, which celebrated its centenary in 2021.
  2. The Etxepare Basque Institute promotes collaboration in the areas of culture and academia with international partners (universities, cultural entities, festivals, art centres, etc.) to enhance the international presence and visibility of the Basque language and contemporary Basque creativity and to promote international cooperation and exchange.
  3. The partnership between the University of Wales Trinity Saint David and the Etxepare Basque Institute was agreed in 2022 in order to establish the Alan R. King Chair in Sociolinguistics, named after the eminent linguist. It is an annual programme with the aim of setting a firm foundation for the relationship between Wales and the Basque Country in this priority field for both countries. The Alan R King Chair is one of ten themed Chairs supported by the Etxepare Basque Institute at universities across the world and the only one that focusses on language policy and planning.
  4. CAWCS offers unique opportunities for postgraduate students to work alongside specialists in a dynamic and supportive environment. It is located in Aberystwyth, adjacent to the National Library of Wales, which is an internationally-renowned copyright library with excellent research facilities. 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

Further Information

Arwel Lloyd

Principal PR and Communications Officer    
Corporate Communications and PR    
Email:  arwel.lloyd@uwtsd.ac.uk    
Phone: 07384 467076

Share this news item