On 25 September, the Université de Montréal and the Institut Ramon Llull (IRL) will inaugurate the Pôle d’études catalanes de l’Université de Montréal (PECUM), a new academic centre that will combine teaching, research, educational technology innovation, professional training, cultural programming and the Médiathèque en études catalanes (Catalan studies media library).
The creation of PECUM is the culmination of a process that began in 2007, when the Université de Montréal incorporated Catalan studies into its curriculum in collaboration with the IRL. Over the past 19 years, more than 1,000 students have taken Catalan courses at the university, making it one of the leading centres for teaching Catalan language and culture in North America.
With this new centre, the Université de Montréal will become the first university in the Americas, the first outside Europe and the fifth in the world to have a permanent structure of this kind supported by the IRL. The other four are the Centre d''études catalanes de la Sorbonne Université de Paris (France), the Centre for Catalan Studies at Queen Mary University of London (UK), the Centrum Studiów Katalońskich at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (Poland) and the Centro CAT di Studi Catalani at the Università per Stranieri di Siena (Italy).
An established and growing project
Catalan studies in Montreal have developed steadily under the direction of Èric Viladrich. The curriculum has expanded from an initial five courses to 11, covering language, culture, literature, translation, work placements and language immersion trips. The minor in Catalan studies, established in 2014, comprises 30 academic credits and was the first of its kind in North America, predating similar programmes at the universities of Massachusetts and Chicago.
Figures for the 2025-2026 academic year demonstrate the strength of the programme: 79 students and 103 enrolments across 10 teaching groups. These 79 students are studying Catalan language and culture and taking part in other academic and cultural programmes run by the IRL, such as Catalan language proficiency certification and summer language stays.
Students from a wide range of disciplines within the Faculty of Arts and Science, including philological studies, comparative literature, art history, sociology and linguistics, can enrol in the university’s Catalan study programmes.
The Université de Montréal is currently the only university in Quebec to offer comprehensive courses in Catalan language and culture, and one of only three Canadian institutions to offer Catalan studies, alongside the universities of Toronto and British Columbia.
Research, innovation and culture
PECUM has been established with the aim of going beyond teaching and becoming a leading centre for the promotion of Catalan studies in Canada. Its objectives include advancing research and innovation projects in language teaching, organising seminars and academic conferences, developing professional training opportunities in areas such as subtitling and cultural mediation, coordinating cultural activities for the wider community, and hosting visiting lecturers and researchers.
The framework agreement signed by the university and the IRL will remain in force until 2030, with the possibility of an extension. It provides for the development of in-person, hybrid and distance-learning programmes to continue broadening the reach of Catalan studies.
An inauguration to mark the European Day of Languages
The official inauguration of PECUM will take place on Friday 25 September, which coincides with the European Day of Languages. The event will begin at 5 p.m. at the Pavillon Jean of the Université de Montréal, with speeches by Marie Achille, Vice-Dean at the Université de Montréal’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and Anna Guitart, Director of the IRL.
This will be followed by a lecture by Northern Catalan writer Joan-Lluís Lluís, titled Contre l’absolutisme linguistique: cap sur la Catalogne du Nord !, a reflection on linguistic diversity, identity and cultural heritage.
The day will culminate in a concert by Roger Mas, titled Quand les langues vivront d’amour, which will take place at the Maison de la culture de Côte-des-Neiges. Through this musical performance, the inauguration of PECUM seeks to celebrate linguistic plurality and strengthen cultural ties between Catalonia, Quebec and the wider Francophone world.
With the creation of PECUM, the Université de Montréal and the IRL are entering a new phase aimed at consolidating the presence of the Catalan language and culture in Canada and expanding their reach into new areas of research, training and international cooperation.
