UCL SSEES

25/08/2026

We are delighted to welcome Prof. Jasna Dragović-Soso as the incoming Director of SSEES.

She will take up her new role on 1 September 2026, succeeding the current SSEES Director, Prof. Simon Dixon.

In our latest staff spotlight, Prof. Dragović-Soso reflects on her career before joining UCL and shares what she is most looking forward to in her new role.

Read the full spotlight to find out more about our incoming Director, her research, and her plans for the months ahead: bit.ly/4zBBzht

18/08/2026

🌍 Episode 4 of SSEES Unlocked is here, and this time our journey takes us to North Macedonia!

🎤Join Ana Ilievska Zavrsnik, Macedonian and Slovene tutor, as she takes us through Macedonian traditions and hidden gems.

Drop a comment below with which SSEES country you want to see next! ✨

18/08/2026

Please join Dr Katarzyna Zechenter for a poetry reading of 'They live far from each other'. The poems trace a relationship developing over more than 30 years, across countries, continents, languages and cultures.

🗓️ 20 August at 6pm
📍 POSK Gallery, Hammersmith
🎟️ Free entry

04/08/2026

🎙️ PLEJ Podcast: Episode 4!

In this episode, we explore how the UCL Slade School of Fine Art Graduate, Iris, has come to terms with the concept of trash. How can we draw attention to the topics and objects that we often ignore? Through a multimodal approach, Iris’s representation of trash serves as a visual interpretation of language and its hierarchies. In reclaiming the term ‘trash’, Iris prompts us to question our preconceptions and inquire lessons from the everyday objects which end up beneath our feet. We discuss how art can locate the in-between, translating life visually through our habits, movements, and that which we leave behind.

🎧 Listen now: https://share.transistor.fm/s/3c221e07

03/08/2026

🌍 For Episode 3 of SSEES Unlocked, we’re heading to Bulgaria!

🎤Dr Yordanka Velkova, Associate Lecturer in Bulgarian Language and Culture, joins us to talk about the country’s first Eurovision win, the fascinating history behind its name and alphabet, and many more surprising facts.

Stay tuned for the next stop on our tour! ✨

Special thanks to Dmitry Matchin, Lecturer in Russian, for filming, and to SSEES student Molly Hirst for editing.

Yordanka Velkova

30/07/2026

'Is Netanyahu’s star waning in Washington? His latest meeting with Trump suggests it may be' Dr Christian Emery contemplates in his latest piece for The Conversation UK:

The US president has maed several statements suggesting that he is not happy with the Israeli prime minister.

30/07/2026

Congratulations to Elodie Douarin, Professor of Economics and Society, who has been named 'Reviewer of the year" from the editors of the Journal of Institutional Economics. This recognises Prof Douarin's outstanding service over the past year: https://winir.org/reviewer-of-year-prize/

23/07/2026

🎉 We are delighted to share the news about successful academic promotions for 2025-26!

Dr Jakub Benes has been promoted to Professor of Central European History.

Dr Riitta-Liisa Valijarvi has been promoted to Professor of Sociocultural Linguistics.

Dr Pawel Bukowski has been promoted to Associate Professor.

Dr Alessandro Iandolo has been promoted to Associate Professor.

Please join us in congratulating our colleagues!

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/arts-humanities/news-ucl-ssees/successful-academic-promotions-2025-26

15/07/2026

Celebrating language, culture and belonging ✨

UCL SSEES students from the Albanian for Heritage Speakers course explored Albania and Kosovo’s representation in London museums, connecting language, heritage and cultural memory while showcasing their research and language skills. The event was organised in collaboration with the Embassy of Albania in London and the Kosovo Embassy London.

➡️ Read the full story: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/arts-humanities/news-ucl-ssees/heritage-speakers-and-cultural-memory-albania-and-kosovo-london-museums

🗣️ Interested in learning a new language? We offer a unique range of online short courses, many of which are available only at UCL SSEES: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/arts-humanities/ssees/study-us/welcome-ssees-online-evening-language-courses