Borders and Fluidity, Possibilities and Challenges

Guidelines for Paper Presentations

Abstracts (200–300 words, excluding references) should include:

• Aims
• Research questions
• Theoretical approach
• Methods
• (Preliminary) results

Please also include up to five keywords.

Presentation format: 20 minutes presentation + 10 minutes discussion.

Submit your abstract

Guidelines for Symposia

When proposing a symposium, please submit:

1. A symposium overview abstract (200–300 words, excluding references)
   1. Summary of the overall topic or theme
   2. Name and affiliation of the chair
   3. Name(s) and affiliation(s) of possible discussant(s)
2. An abstract for each individual presentation (200–300 words, excluding references), including:
   1. Aims
   2. Research questions
   3. Theoretical approach
   4. Methods
   5. (Preliminary) results
   6. Name and affiliation of each presenter

A symposium lasts 90 minutes. Organisers are free to decide the number, length, and order of presentations.

All symposium materials (overview abstract + individual abstracts) should be compiled and uploaded as one single document.

Submit your symposium

Guidelines for PhD Students

PhD students who wish to participate in the pre-conference are invited to submit a short outline of their research (max. 200 words).

The outline should briefly describe relevant aspects of your research, such as:

• aims and research questions
• theoretical or methodological issues
• methodological challenges
• other questions or issues you would particularly like to discuss

Submission deadline: 30 October 2026

SUBMIT YOUR OUTLINE

Applicants will be notified of the outcome by 8 January 2027. Accepted participants will then be invited to submit a longer text (3–5 pages) by 1 March 2027. Further instructions and a submission link will be provided upon acceptance.

Find all information about the pre-conference here

The pre-conference offers PhD students an opportunity to present and discuss work in progress and receive feedback from fellow PhD students and senior researchers.

PhD students who wish to participate must first submit a short outline of their research (max. 200 words) by 30 October 2026. Applicants will be notified of the outcome by 8 January 2027. See Guidelines for PhD Students below for details on what to include and how to submit your outline.

Accepted participants will then be asked to submit a 3–5 page text by 1 March 2027. The text may focus on different aspects of the PhD project, such as theory, methodology, results or specific challenges, and should include a short reading guide indicating the areas on which the participant would particularly like feedback. Texts may be written in Swedish, Norwegian, Danish or English.

During the pre-conference, participants will work in small groups, presenting their work, discussing each other's research and exchanging feedback. Participants will also receive feedback from senior researchers. The texts will be shared with the groups in advance.

Information about rooms and the final programme will be announced later.

Registration

Registration for the pre-conference will open together with the main conference registration. When registering, participants will be asked to provide a working title for their presentation.

Anna-Elisabeth Holm

PhD, Assistant Professor in Faroese as a Second Language at the Faculty of Faroese Language and Literature at the University of the Faroe Islands.

Research interests: Second language acquisition, multilingual education, and language education for newcomers to the Faroe Islands. The field of sociolinguistics, focusing in particular on language in society, language learning, language and social justice, multilingual pedagogies, multilingualism in peripheral regions, language policy and practice

Short Bio: With a background in language studies and as a language teacher, Elisabeth has a particular interest in second language acquisition, multilingual education, and language education for newcomers to the Faroe Islands. Her main research interests are within the field of sociolinguistics, focusing in particular on language in society, language learning, language and social justice, multilingual pedagogies, multilingualism in peripheral regions, language policy and practice. Her PhD thesis focused on adult migrant language learning. In particular, it focused on the lived experiences of migrants of non-Nordic origin in becoming speakers of Faroese. It also focused on the specific challenges encountered during the course of learning Faroese and the consequences with respect to labour market access and participation. Parts of this work was later published by Routledge in a volume entitled Migration, Adult Language Learning and Multilingualism – Critical Sociolinguistics Research with New Speakers of Faroese. This book won the BAAL Book Prize in 2025.

• Research page

Line Krogager Andersen

Ph.D, Researcher at the Department of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University.

Research interests: Language education, language awareness, plurilingualism, action research, complex dynamic systems

Short bio: Starting off with a degree in linguistics and an MA in conference interpreting, Line has immersed herself in the study of language(s) in many different ways throughout her academic and professional career. She initially worked for the EU institutions as a conference interpreter before returning to academia to do a phD on plurilingual approaches and language awareness in the primary school classroom. Her work focuses on all language subjects including L1 Danish which she sees as an essential venue for fostering language awareness for all. She works as an action researcher, drawing on complex dynamic systems theory to conceptualise the complexities of language education in primary and lower secondary school classrooms. Her current focus is on developing an approach for sustainable language education as a response to the multiple crises that language education faces in the Danish context. She is the PI of the research project Sustainable Language Education, funded by the Danish Research Council.

• Research page

Brynhildur Þórarinsdóttir

Writer and Associate Professor of Icelandic, University of Akureyri, Faculty of Education.

Research interests: Children literature, literacy upbringing and literacy habits of children and youth.

Short bio: Brynhildur has a degree in Icelandic literature and language. She works as an author and lecturer at the University of Akureyri. Her research has focused, among other things, on the reading habits of children and adolescents, Icelandic as a school subject and language of instruction, and the use of children's books in preschools. She has written about literacy from a social perspective, the building of reading communities in schools, and literature as a way to connect and belong. Brynhildur has retold Icelandic medieval literature for young readers and has published numerous works of fiction for children and adolescents, as well as textbooks for primary schools and teaching guides for teachers. She teaches prospective teachers how to use literature in the classroom and has led the Children's Book Centre, which works to promote reading interest among children and adolescents in Iceland.

• Research page

Thursday, 8 April

The day begins with a pre-conference for PhD students. The conference officially opens at 14.30, and the programme for the day concludes with music, drinks and networking.

Pre-conference for PhD students

08.30 – 09.00 | Registration/coffee 

09.00 – 09.30 | Introductory comments

09.30 – 10.30 | Workshop

10.30 – 10.45 | Coffee

10.45 – 12.15 | Workshop

12.15 – 13.00 | Lunch for PhD students

13.00 – 14.00 | Discussion and summary

Borders and Fluidity, Possibilities and Challenges

14.30              | Conference opening

14.45 – 15.30 | Keynote presentation -  Brynhildur Þórarinsdóttir

15.30 – 15.45 | Coffee

15.45 – 17.15  | Parallel sessions

 17.30 – 18.30 | Music and refreshments

Friday, 9 April

The day begins with coffee at 08.30 and concludes with an exciting surprise excursion.

08.30 – 09.00 | Coffee

09.00 – 09.50 | Keynote presentation - Line Krogager Andersen

10.00 – 11.30 | Parallel sessions – workshop

11.30 – 12.30 | Lunch

12.30 – 13.15 | Keynote presentation - Anna-Elisabeth Holm

13.20 – 14.50 | Parallel sessions – workshop

14.50 – 15.15 | Coffee

15.15 – 16.15 | Parallel sessions

16.30 – 22.00 | Surprise trip

Saturday, 10 April

The day begins with coffee at 08.30 and the conference concludes at 15.30.

08.30 – 09.00 | Coffee

09.00 – 09.30 | Presentation from TALÍS (Talking and learning Icelandic in schools)

09.35 – 11.05 | Parallel sessions

11.10 – 12.10 | Parallel sessions

12.10 – 13.10 | Lunch

13.15 – 14.40 | Parallel sessions

14.45 – 15.00 | Presentation from NNFF

15.00 - 15.30 | Conference closing