International Summer School: Arabic Literature and Arts Beyond the Canon

The International Bilingual AGYA Summer School brings together junior and senior scholars from Europe and the Arab world to explore new perspectives on Arabic literature and the arts. Organized within the framework of the long-standing project ‘Arabische Philologien im Blickwechsel / متعددة برؤى عربية دراسات نحو’, the event promotes dialogue across academic traditions while fostering the use of Arabic as an academic language alongside English.

This year's edition focuses on the aesthetic dimensions of Arabic literary and artistic production, asking how pleasure, creativity, formal experimentation, and artistic innovation can enrich our understanding of Arabic cultural heritage beyond its political, social, or documentary functions. Participants will engage with both classical and modern works, examining canonical texts alongside underexplored genres such as Mamluk poetry, maqāmāt, film scripts, fan fiction, video game narratives, and digital storytelling. Through this broader perspective, the summer school seeks to stimulate discussion on the intrinsic literary qualities of Arabic texts and the evolving methodologies used to study them.

Designed for MA and PhD students as well as postdoctoral researchers in Arabic literary and cultural studies, the bilingual programme combines scholarly exchange with intensive language training. Following a preparatory meeting and two individual coaching sessions, participants will present their research in the academic language they are less accustomed to using – Arabic or English – and receive professional linguistic support. Lectures, plenary discussions, and participant presentations provide an international forum for exchanging innovative approaches to Arabic philology, literature, and culture while strengthening academic networks between Europe and the Arab world.