2026 Snapper Lecture on Dutch Studies
This lecture is made possible by the Johan Snapper Endowment for Dutch Studies in recognition of the program's founder Professor Emeritus Johan Snapper.
Reading the City: Language and Poetry in Dutch Public Spaces
with Antoinet Brink, Lecturer and Founder of the Dutch Studies Program at the University of Coimbra, Portugal.
Saturday, September 19, 2026
Alumni House, Toll Room
4pm Lecture
The lecture will be followed by a reception.
More information on how to register for this event will follow.
Lecture Overview:
In this lecture, we explore the linguistic landscape of the Netherlands by walking through its streets, alleys, and squares and examining the languages that surround us. Which languages do we encounter, where do we find them, in what forms do they appear, and what meanings do they convey? We will see how written language in public spaces can inform us, warn us, instruct us, and even seduce us.
A special part of this linguistic landscape is poetry in public places. We will look at several poems in public spaces and discover how they can transform a city from a neutral space into a familiar friend.
Antoinet Brink is a Dutch language instructor at the University of Coimbra in Portugal, one of the oldest universities in Europe. She holds an MA in Portuguese Language and Literature from Utrecht University (Netherlands) and an MA in Language Teaching from the University of Aveiro (Portugal).
She founded the Dutch Studies program in Coimbra and has taught Dutch language, culture, and translation over the years. Alongside her university work, she currently runs intensive language programs for dentists and nurses preparing to live and work in the Netherlands.
From 2013 to 2023 she coordinated the annual intensive Dutch summer course held in Spain, Italy, and Portugal, and in 2021 and 2022 she organized an online guest lecture series on Dutch culture.
For more information, visit: https://antoinetbrink.vercel.app/
Previous events in this series:
2025 Snapper Lecture on Dutch Studies
Olympians in Flanders Fields: Stories on the Impact of War on Young & Global Talent
with Professor Herwig Reynaert, Vice Chancellor, Ghent University, Belgium
and special opening remarks by His Excellency Matthias Diependaele, Minister-President of the Government of Flanders, Belgium.
2024 Snapper Lecture on Dutch Studies
Sounds From Heaven: A Musical Heritage From the Low Countries
with Dr. Luc Rombouts, City Carillonneur, Tienen, Belgium.
followed by a Carillon Concert featuring the Campanile.
2023 Inaugural Snapper Lecture on Dutch Studies
The annual Snapper Lecture on Dutch Studies is made possible by the Johan Snapper Endowment for Dutch Studies in recognition of the program’s founder Professor Emeritus Johan Snapper. The Inaugural Snapper Lecture took place on Wednesday November 15, 2023. Please click on the image below to view a recording of this event.
