Thinking galactically

Researchers from the School of Modern Languages travelled through space, time and science this June for their annual PGR/Postgraduate Research conference.

Entitled Galactic Humanities, the conference which took place on 2 June 2025, invited participants to explore how language, literature, history, philosophy, and creativity intersect with scientific and technological advances.

Spanning humanities and social sciences, the aim of the conference was to provide a platform to showcase innovative and interdisciplinary research, with 10 papers being presented over four panels throughout the day. Postgraduate researchers attended from across the UK and Ireland and were given the opportunity to present their research, engage in networking, and gain new skills.

Discussions from the day included Generative AI in Cultural Communication and Creative Practices to Learning a Minoritised Language to Connect to Our Roots. There were also presentations on Videogame Localisation, Science Fiction and the Experimental Poetry of the 1960s, Post feminism Circulation in China and Cosmopolitanism as an Identity.

A number of research surgeries took place with Dr Christie Margrave holding a session on auto-ethnography and Dr Charlotte Hammond demonstrating zine-making for public engagement. Dr Angelo Silvestri presented on researching historic artefacts, whilst Dr Elaine Chung presented on text analysis.

The conference also welcomed Dr Bernadette O’Rourke from the University of Glasgow, who delivered a keynote talk on New Speakers and New Geographies of Languages. This being significant with the event being held in Cardiff, a bilingual city that takes pride in embracing its languages and aims to promote plurilingualism.

Dr Cristina Marinetti, Director of Postgraduate Research for the School of Modern Languages said, "From videogame localisation, sci-fi poetry, post feminism in China and learning a minoritised language to reclaim identity, this conference was a brilliant showcase of what modern languages research can do. At a time when the value of the humanities is being questioned, our postgraduates reminded us that curiosity, critical insight, and a commitment to understanding others are essential for navigating, and helping us shape, our rapidly changing world."