As a literature of authority, power, and hegemony Latin has historically been implicated in shaping and facilitating colonialism, imperialism, and white supremacism. Over the course of the last decades, many have questioned and criticized the field’s close relationship to these systems of oppression. And yet, colonialism is still alive and well – it persists through neocolonial, white supremacist, patriarchal, positivist epistemologies and paradigms; it shapes the way we think, talk and write about Latin. Its enduring influence extends all the way to how we learn and teach Latin.
Given the ways Latin has upheld and legitimized colonialism, the ways it has benefited from it and been shaped by it, the question arises: is it (still) possible to make Latin literary studies a justice-focused and anti-colonial field?
That is, can we effectively unlearn and dismantle the harmful, neocolonial structures of knowledge that have shaped Latin into the field of study it is today? If so, how can we relearn Latin? Which epistemologies, concepts, and frameworks can help us decolonize a field so closely entwined with white supremacy and eurocentrism? How do we center voices and perspectives that have been or still are ignored? How do we create safe learning environments for younger generations of students and researchers? And how do we put new ideas and perspectives into practice?
Six speakers are invited to give short impulse talks engaging with these questions. Their talks will serve as a basis for an ensuing discussion, open to all participants. Together, the speakers, audience, and organizers will partake in a collective project of imagining and developing a toolkit for un/relearning Latin.
All are welcome to attend RELICS’ fourth virtual roundtable ‘Unlearning and Relearning Latin: Perspectives on Decolonizing Latin Literary Studies in Practice’, on Monday April 13 2026, 4.30-6.30 pm (CET). The event is via Zoom, a link can be obtained upon registration.
Please register via: https://event.ugent.be/registration/decolonizinglatin
Kind regards,
Organizer (Hind Ayhir – Hind.Ayhir@ugent.be)
& Advisory Board (Jeroen De Gussem, Dinah Wouters, Hanne Berendse)
RELICS 