The study of cultural transfer and transmission is a relatively new research line within the broader context of literary history and cultural studies. Even before the start of the U4 network scholars were working together in inter alia on the international project 'Peripheral autonomy? A longitudinal analysis of cultural transfer in the literary fields of small language communities' conducted at the universities of Ghent, Groningen and Uppsala, 2006-2012.
At the moment various scholars within the field of cultural transfer studies are collaborating on the project ´Beyond Horizons in Cultural Transfer Studies´ in Groningen. In Ghent as well as in Groningen PhD projects on cultural transmitters and their networks were carried out. A new topic in Ghent and Groningen is the study of literature and cultural transfer in minority and migrant writing. In Uppsala The Hugo Valentin Center works with migrants and minorities. In addition, the Section for the Sociology of Literature, started a new project on´Swedish literature as world literature´. The project broadens the field of sociology of literature which has tended to focus on national literary systems thus neglecting the question how literature circulates transnationally.
Göttingen has a long tradition in cultural transfer studies, a.o. in the English Department and the Department of Scandinavian Studies. A new project in Göttingen on the cultural transfer between Denmark, Germany and France was started at the Department of Scandinavian Studies.
The U4 network Cultural Transfer Research includes researchers of different backgrounds and expertise. It aims to build an EU-network in cultural transfer studies and to initiate research and collaboration by organizing workshops once a year and preparing applications for EU-funding.
Through the internet forum SOCTAT (Studies on Cultural Transfer and Transmission) members can inform the community about new books, conferences or start a discussion topic.