CEEPUS Ministerial Award: A Milestone for Hispanists
The network of Central European Hispanists, Red de Hispanistas de Europa Central, was established in 2009 through the initiative and coordination of the West University of Timișoara. Initially composed of universities from Romania, Hungary, and Serbia, the organization has now grown to encompass Spanish departments from 22 universities across 11 countries in the region (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, North Macedonia, Croatia, Poland, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia).
Initially, the network mainly focused on faculty mobility, which led to numerous joint conferences, academic publications, and research projects. These collaborative research efforts paved the way for further partnerships across Europe and Latin America, including projects such as The Role of the Spanish Language in Europe and Latin American Writers in Socialist Countries during the Cold War. These collaborations have produced several joint publications, an Argentine monographic journal issue, and edited volumes, including Pablo Neruda in the Mirror of Socialism (Brussels, Peter Lang, 2024), with the latest publications expected in 2025. The network's academic journal, Colindancias, has been published annually since its inception.
The Spanish Department at ELTE plays a prominent role in the network's success:
It actively participates in both collaborative research and promoting international student mobility. According to Gabriella Menczel, the CEEPUS coordinator at the department, the recently awarded prize is especially significant as it acknowledges the collective efforts of Hispanists working in the region and supports the expansion of further collaborative opportunities in Europe and with Latin American partners. 'This award is the result of years of dedicated work, and it also provides an opportunity to further build our international relationships and realize new joint projects,' said the associate professor and head of the department after receiving the award.
In addition to faculty mobility, the network places significant emphasis on student exchanges, supported by events such as the international summer university organized by the University of Pécs, where students could earn credits for courses on Spanish language and culture. Another example is the spring course titled Hispanist Research in Central and Eastern Europe at Masaryk University’s Department of Romance Studies in Brno, where each year, four instructors from the region deliver six-hour seminars on their research areas. Another highly successful project engaging students was the LITPRAX (Literature in Practice) symposium series, which included multi-day workshops at three locations—Novi Sad, Timișoara, and Ljubljana—and involved institutions from two additional countries, the Czech Republic and Hungary, alongside the organizing universities.
As a member of the international network, the Spanish Department at ELTE strengthens its regional and international presence in the teaching of Spanish language and culture.