2026 marks 100 years of Catalan Studies at the University of Liverpool. This blog, written by a current undergraduate student, celebrates our milestone. Mollie Brewin writes below!
Why does a language spoken by millions still need defending? When I began studying Catalan three years ago, this was a question I frequently pondered over.
Catalan is often described as a regional language, or worse, reduced to a political issue. But it is neither a dialect, nor is it disappearing, which is what makes it so fascinating to study today. It teaches you what happens when a language is pushed to the margins, and how its speakers fight to keep it alive. Studying Catalan changed the way I think about language, culture, and who gets to decide what is worth preserving.
Catalan developed from Latin around the same time as Spanish and French, and by the Middle Ages, it was already a prestigious literary language, being used in administration and everyday life across the Mediterranean. However, its history has been turbulent. During the Franco regime (1939-1975), attempts to enforce linguistic uniformity across Spain led to Catalan being heavily repressed and excluded from public life. What is most striking is that the language survived anyway, kept alive by families and communities, and re-emerged powerfully after Spain’s transition to democracy. Its long and complex history explains why it continues to hold such cultural and symbolic importance today.
Studying Catalan allows you to understand how language, history and politics intersect. These studies are connected to wider conversations about minority rights, cultural autonomy and linguistic preservation. Catalan also challenges the idea that one country should equal one language. Furthermore, despite being deeply rooted in history, Catalan is a modern language with over ten million speakers. For Hispanic Studies students, or language students in general, studying Catalan helps students understand that Hispanic cultures are linguistically diverse. It gave me greater linguistic awareness in understanding how languages influence each other, and how many people in Spain live bilingually.
Looking back, I have got more out of my studies than just learning a language. It reframed how I think about language, culture and identity, and how all of these are intertwined with politics. Studying Catalan offers students the opportunity to acquire another Romance language whilst learning about concepts such as marginalisation and resistance, knowledge that can be applied across many areas of Modern Languages. Reflecting on the history of this language explains its significance and relevance today.
Visit our dedicated Catalan Centenary webpage.
Interested in studying a degree that focuses on Catalan culture and politics?
Discover how to combine Catalan studies with other degrees at undergraduate level.
Discover the Catalan pathway in the Modern Languages and Cultures MRes at postgraduate level.