From May 22 to 24, 2025, Iscte - Instituto Universitário de Lisboa hosted the 11th International Conference of the International Working Group on Pluricentric Languages and their Non-Dominant Varieties (WGNDV), on the theme “Pluricentric Languages and Power: At the Crossroads of Legacies”.

The event brought together researchers and experts from around the world to discuss the role of pluricentric languages - those with multiple normative centers - in the context of power relations, colonial legacies, language policies and cultural identities.
The conference critically addressed the complex interaction between internal linguistic diversity and the power structures that shape languages with multiple national or regional norms.

Over the three days, more than 60 academic papers, round tables and plenary lectures were presented with the participation of leading linguists and researchers in areas such as sociolinguistics, language policy, education and cultural studies. The sessions featured contributions on a wide range of pluricentric languages, including Portuguese, Spanish, English and German, among others.

The conference was organized in partnership with CELGA-ILTEC (University of Coimbra) and is part of an international cycle that began in 2011, with previous editions in cities such as Graz, New York, Salamanca and Graz. This year's edition reinforced our institution's commitment to interdisciplinary research in the areas of linguistics, sociolinguistics, language teaching, sociology, anthropology and cultural studies.

The initiative, organized locally by researchers Ana Raquel Matias, Sofia Gaspar and Cláudia Pereira, also represented an opportunity to create transnational research networks and to promote linguistic diversity as an academic and social value.