Lecture and Seminar Series

We organise or collaborate on around 100 different events each year, ranging from public lectures for a wide audience, to specialised academic seminars and conferences. Visit our Events page for current listings, or follow us on Twitter or Facebook.

Late Summer Lectures

Late Summer Lectures is organised by our postgraduate researchers, and brings some of the cutting-edge research from early-career scholars to share with the public. The series has run since 2010 every August through to October. Everyone from students and schools to members of the public is warmly invited to attend and encounter new perspectives on literature.

Inventions of the Text

Inventions of the Text is organised by a team of postgraduate researchers, and combines papers by academics from Durham and beyond with presentations by PhD students. Seminars run roughly every couple of weeks during term time, with around eight or nine events a year. 

Research Seminars

We regularly invite scholars from other universities throughout the UK and internationally to present papers at research seminars.

These provide an opportunity for postgraduates and members of staff to come together in an informal environment to hear about and discuss the latest research. Some seminars are also open to the public.

Reading Groups

Department staff and PhD students run or participate in a number of specialised reading groups. 

South and West Asian Reading Group

The South and West Asian Reading Group (SWARG) meets twice termly to discuss a work of South or West Asian literature. The group is run by a group of postgraduate students at Durham and Newcastle university and aims to bring together a friendly and relaxed community across the North East based on a shared interest in reading and talking about South and West Asian fiction. For information about our upcoming meetings see our Twitter and Instagram pages, or contact [email protected].