FILLM - International Federation for Modern Languages and Literatures

13/08/2026

FILLM Member-Association News:

Call for Papers — WALC 2027 (Yaoundé, Cameroon)

The West African Linguistic Society (WALS/SLAO) — a valued member of FILLM — announces the 35th West African Languages Congress (WALC 2027), taking place 12–15 October 2027 at the University of Yaounde I, Cameroon.

Theme: African Languages, Innovations, and Social Transformations: Contemporary Trends in Linguistic Research in Africa

Researchers, teachers, and students working in African linguistics, applied linguistics, computational linguistics, and related fields are warmly invited to submit abstracts.

📅 Deadline for abstract submission: 31 January 2027
🔗 Congress website: https://www.westafricanlinguisticsociety.org/

Submission guidelines:
– Max. 250 words + 5 keywords
– Abstracts may be written in English, French, or any African language
– Each abstract must include a translation into an African language
– Send to: [email protected] (with copy to [email protected])

WALC 2027 welcomes contributions across eight thematic axes, including:
• Description and modelling of African languages
• Education and knowledge transmission
• Sociolinguistic dynamics and multilingual governance
• Digital technologies and AI
• Interdisciplinarity in African linguistics
• Arts, cultural expressions, and traditions
• Language acquisition and pathology
• Tourism, mobilities, and heritage

FILLM is proud to share this announcement from WALS/SLAO and celebrates their continued contribution to global linguistic scholarship.

We encourage our international community to submit and participate in WALC 2027! 🌍📚✨ Constantine Yuka THE WEST AFRICAN LINGUISTIC SOCIETY (WALS) / Société de Linguistique (SLAO)

08/08/2026

As part of the wider UNESCO family, FILLM is pleased to highlight the launch of the IBBY–UNESCO Collection of remarkable books for young readers in native and endangered languages. This initiative places children and young readers at the centre of global efforts to preserve and promote linguistic diversity.

At a time when many languages face increasing pressure — especially in digital spaces and in the age of artificial intelligence — this collection reminds us that languages are far more than tools of communication. They carry knowledge, identities, memories, and imaginations. The initiative reflects UNESCO’s long-standing commitment to multilingualism and supports the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022–2032).

For more than 70 years, IBBY has worked to ensure that every child can read in their own language and recognize themselves in the stories they encounter. Together, UNESCO and IBBY celebrate outstanding works in native and endangered languages while encouraging the creation of new ones.

Bringing together books in over 152 languages, this collection is both a celebration of linguistic diversity and a call to protect, revitalize, and pass these languages on to future generations. 🥰

L’UNESCO et l’ sont fiers de lancer la Collection IBBY-UNESCO de livres remarquables pour jeunes lecteurs en langues autochtones et en péril, qui place les enfants et les jeunes lecteurs au cœur des efforts visant à préserver et promouvoir la diversité linguistique.

À l’heure où de nombreuses langues sont de plus en plus menacées, notamment dans l’environnement numérique et à l’ère de l’intelligence artificielle, cette collection rappelle qu’elles sont bien plus que des moyens de communication. Elles sont porteuses de savoirs, d’identités et d’imaginaires. Elle reflète également l’engagement de longue date de l’UNESCO en faveur du multilinguisme et de la Décennie internationale des langues autochtones (2022–2032).

Depuis plus de 70 ans, l’IBBY œuvre pour que chaque enfant puisse lire dans sa propre langue et se reconnaître dans les histoires qu’il lit. Ensemble, l’UNESCO et l’IBBY mettent à l’honneur des ouvrages remarquables en langues autochtones et en péril, tout en encourageant la création et la diffusion de nouvelles œuvres.

Réunissant des livres dans plus de 152 langues, cette collection est à la fois une célébration de la diversité linguistique et un appel à préserver, revitaliser et transmettre ces langues aux générations futures.

🔗 En savoir plus : https://www.unesco.org/fr/articles/une-nouvelle-collection-met-lhonneur-les-livres-pour-jeunes-lecteurs-en-langues-autochtones-et-en

08/08/2026

Looking forward to this amazing event :-D

14/06/2026

Second Call Extended — Submit by 31 July 2026! ✨

We’re delighted to announce that the Second Call for Papers for the 30th International FILLM Congress has been extended to 31 July 2026 — giving you more time to join this global gathering of scholars, educators, writers, and practitioners. Apply now!

From 8–11 December 2026, Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia, will host the 30th Congress of the International Federation for Modern Languages and Literatures (FILLM).
Theme: Talking Country

A deep exploration of how country shapes — and is shaped by — languages, literatures, and cultures. From Indigenous knowledges to global multiculturalism, we invite you to reflect on how we speak with, through, and about the places we inhabit.
We welcome proposals for:

Individual presentations

Curated panel sessions

Practice‑based workshops

Organisational meetings

📅 New deadline: 31 July 2026
🔗 Submit via our conference portal:
https://www.vu.edu.au/30th-FILLM-congress

We look forward to an inspiring, international exchange of ideas.
Let’s meet in Melbourne to celebrate the power of language and literature across cultures and continents! 🌏📚✨ Thank You Tom Clark and Australasian Universities Languages and Literature Association - AULLA

09/06/2026

New Publication in the FILLM Series!

FILLM is delighted to announce the release of Volume 22 in the FILLM Studies in Languages and Literatures series:

Literature as Experience‑Inviting Discourse by Anders Pettersson (Umeå University).

This remarkable volume explores literature as experience‑inviting discourse — writing crafted not merely to be analyzed, but to be freely experienced by readers. Pettersson examines the nature and purpose of literature, the psychology of literary reading, and the dynamic relationship between literary criticism and experience‑oriented reading. The result is a compelling contribution to contemporary literary theory and a powerful reflection on what literature does for us as human beings.

📘 Publication details

• Hardbound ISBN: 9789027233844

• e‑Book ISBN: 9789027244147

• Published online: 15 January 2026

• © John Benjamins Publishing Company

• More information: https://benjamins.com/catalog/fillm.22

We warmly congratulate the author and extend our thanks to everyone involved in bringing this volume to life. Stay connected with FILLM for more updates on our publications, events, and global activities. Thank you Haun Saussy FILLM Studies Editor

05/06/2026

FILLM Executive Committee Update! ✨

We’re happy to share that the FILLM Executive Committee Meeting took place on 29 April 2026 via Zoom. A wonderful and productive gathering of colleagues from around the world. 🌍💬

Among several important agenda points, we also discussed the possible extension of the Second Call for Papers for the 30th FILLM International Congress, which will take place in Melbourne in December 2026. 🇦🇺📚✨

Stay tuned with us for further updates ... exciting things are on the way!

A heartfelt thank‑you to all participants for your time, energy, and commitment. 💛

28/05/2026

Last Call for Melbourne! ✨
Only 2 days left until the Second Call for Papers for the 30th FILLM Congress closes on 31 May.
Don’t miss your chance to join us in Melbourne and contribute to an inspiring global conversation on languages and literatures.

Submit now — and spread the word!
https://www.vu.edu.au/30th-FILLM-congress

07/05/2026

Call for Papers – IASS 2027 in Malmö!

From 4–7 August 2027, Malmö University brings together researchers exploring City & Country in Nordic Culture — across literature, film, music, visual arts, architecture, and more.
All formats welcome: papers, posters, roundtables, pecha‑kucha, thematic panels.

📅 Abstract deadline: 15 November 2026
📩 Submit to: [email protected]

Join an inspiring international conversation on urban and rural imaginaries in the Nordic world!

29/04/2026

We are incredibly proud to share that FILLM President, Vice Chancellor, and Professor of Linguistics, Dr. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, delivered the inaugural lecture at the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences.

A truly inspiring milestone and a remarkable achievement!

🎥 Watch the lecture here: https://www.youtube.com/live/ijo63CGttkk?si=QcqVJYk-Ghoh_V_1

Congratulations on this outstanding accomplishment! We are so proud! 🎉

30/03/2026

📢 2nd Call for Proposals: “Talking Country”

The 30th FILLM Congress is now accepting proposals for presentations, panels, and workshops under the theme Talking Country. This on-country Congress will take place 8–11 December 2026 at Victoria University (Melbourne, Australia) and will explore languages, literatures, and cultures in dialogue with country and place, Indigenous and multicultural perspectives, and decolonial approaches.

We invite submissions for:

Individual papers (18 minutes)
Panel sessions (85 minutes)
Academic skills workshops (85 minutes)

Submit your proposal by 31 May 2026 via our conference portal: https://www.vu.edu.au/30th-FILLM-congress

Join us in shaping a global conversation on languages, literatures, and cultures on-country. Thank you: Victoria University, Melbourne Australia Tom Clark Australasian Universities Languages and Literature Association - AULLA