The Association for Low Countries Studies (ALCS) promotes the scholarly study of the language, culture, history and society of the Low Countries.
As a subject organisation, the ALCS also represent the interests of Low Countries studies in the UK and Ireland.
The current Chair and Director of the ALCS are Associate Professor Christine Sas (UCL) and Dr Filip De Ceuster (University of Sheffield).
The 2026 ALCS Dutch Summer School takes place at University College London from 28 June until 4 July 2026. The theme of our 5th edition is 'Meerstemmige steden'.
Cities are never just one story; they are a symphony of diverse voices, histories, and futures. We will explore the vibrant, complex, and sometimes clashing dynamics that make up the metropolis and look into urban Anglo-Dutch-Flemish connections. The format offers language sessions in the morning followed by a mix of themed talks, excursions, and workshops in the afternoon/evening to explore how these 'voices' shape the places we live.
This Summer School is open to all learners of Dutch. We offer language tuition and workshops at a level appropriate for you.
Places are limited, but we have a good number available. Priority will be given to applicants who are currently enrolled or plan on enrolling in a Dutch language program at a UK institution. Please express your interest using this form.
We invite individual 20-minute papers or themed 1.5-hour panels.
The theme is broad and the quality of the proposal is more important than strict adherence to the theme
We welcome in particular contributions from emerging scholars and (creative) practitioners.
On 9 December 2024, the ALCS and UCL Dutch welcomed Raoul de Jong, author of ethe award winning novel Jaguarman and of the 2023 Books Week Essay Boto Banja, and writer Karin Amatmoekrim, winner of the Dutch Biography Prize for her biography of Anil Ramdas.
At the Dutch Centre at Austin Friars (London) De Jong and Amatmoekrim went into conversation with Dr Clive Nwonka, Associate Professor in Film, Culture and Society in the School of European Languages, Culture and Society at UCL, on Suriname. Both De Jong and Amatmoekrim explore the (his)story of Suriname by presenting underrepresented voices and fascinating, little known, stories.
This year's ALCS Essay Prize was awarded to Rebecca Nelsey (University of Sheffield) for their essay: “We See What We Did There”: The Successes and Shortcomings of the Acknowledgement of Wrongdoing in Rutte’s Apology for the Role of the Dutch State in the History of Slavery.
The winner of the 2024 Undergraduate Dissertation Prize is Charlotte Armett (University of Sheffield) for “Don’t screw it up!” Translating Dutch Kleinkunst Songs Het is over and Het is begonnen.
Wannes Dupont is Lecturer in History of Sexuality at the University of Edinburgh. He was Assistant Professor of History at Yale-NUS College in Singapore after postdoctoral fellowships at Yale University and for the Flemish Research Foundation at the University of Antwerp. His work, publications, and teaching primarily concern the European, and global sexual pasts, queer history, reproductive politics, and the intersections of biopolitics and religion.
Marrigje Paijmans is Assistant Professor in Dutch Literature at the University of Amsterdam. Her research focuses on the early modern literary roots of anti-colonialism and aims to bring marginalised voices to the fore, creating a more balanced understanding of the Dutch colonial past. For her work on seventeenth-century literature from postcolonial and ecocritical perspectives, she received the KNAW Early Career Award 2022.
For the 15th ALCS conference we would like to explore the theme of questioning the UN/KNOWN in the broadest sense in a Low Countries and comparative context. We take a particular interest in interdisciplinary approaches and papers that explore collaborations between Dutch Studies scholars, translators, authors and practitioners.
We invite individual 20-minute papers or themed 1.5-hour panels. We welcome contributions from emerging scholars and creative practitioners. Please send your proposal in the form of a 250 words abstract by 15 March.
Our confirmed keynote speakers are Dr Marrigje Paijmans (University of Amsterdam) and Dr Wannes Dupont (University of Edinburgh)
Davide Martino received a first grant from the ALCS to carry out archival research in Amsterdam and a second grant to go and present a paper on early modern machine books and hydraulic technologies at the Scientiae Conference in Prague. He reports on his experience. Read the full report here.
