Research challenges for anglophone studies in the 21st century

Once again young researchers of Spanish universities in the field of English Studies unite their efforts to present a new volume of excellent collaborations under the title of RESEARCH CHALLENGES FOR ANGLOPHONE STUDIES IN THE 21st CENTURY. The title not only does not disappoint readers’ expectations, but also responds to the main concerns of the latest research carried out in our present academic system.
This volume, following the model of previous publications, centres on the three major research areas related with English Studies that include cultural, linguistic and literary investigations. Interdisciplinary approaches to English-speaking studies remain the spinal axis of this publication.

From a quantitative point of view, cultural studies take up less space. But the
three articles presented here give an account of the variety of possible perspectives within this section. They cover not only the different literary genres, but they also encompass different historical periods, from the Renaissance to the present. Thus, we can mention the reception of Shakespeare adapted to the prevailing aesthetic principles of 18th century Spain; the emergence of relevant issues, such as domestic violence in the theatre and cinema of the mid-19th century; or the underlying connection between the countercultural Beat Generation and the music of Bob Dylan. All these studies explore, therefore, the relationship between cultural practices, daily life, and the historical contexts in which they take place.
As usual, a great number of the contributions presented in this volume focus on the learning of English as a second language, one of the main concerns of the Spanish education system at the moment, both in the pre-university and university stages.
Therefore it is reasonable that these young researchers investigate an issue that affects a large number of students in today's society. Studies range from the analysis of textbooks used in the teaching of English, in order to check if these materials correctly adopt the four basic skills (listening, speaking, speaking, writing) of the language learning process from the point of view of a communicative approach, to the relationship between prosody and the use of hearing aids by blind people or the perception that the students of English have of pronunciation. Their articles remain very close to real pedagogical problems.
Literary contributions focus on authors of the 20th century, although there is also an adaptation of a Shakespearian play to present-day London, and cover all literary genres, and explore new territories of the inter-disciplinary studies, such as the relationship of literature and cinema. In general these studies focus on specific works and analyse them from a wide range of cultural, sociological and psychological perspectives. We can find studies of highly acclaimed authors such as the American Theodore Roethke and the British Ted Hughes, together with other less known writers, such as the Canadian Jeannette Armstrong, whose works are scrutinized from a wealth of postmodernist paradigm, both in novels and films.
In short, this book constitutes a highly promising selection of articles, which poses a clear challenge to the future of English Studies. Therefore, congratulations go to all individual participants and, above all, to the editors of this volume, who have displayed a great capacity of work and enthusiasm.

Antonio López Santos
Chair of the Department of English Studies
University of Salamanca

Salamanca, September 2012