World Philology Union – WPU

The international association of philologists – curators of the oral and written cultural heritage of the world's languages and literatures

The World Philology Union (WPU) was founded on 2 December 2021 in Oslo, Norway. The WPU is an international association whose purpose is to promote philology worldwide, in research, education, society and culture.

The first General Assembly of the WPU was held in Rome, 15 December 2022. At the same occasion, the first WPU international conference was held, 14–16 December, hosted by the Sapienza University of Rome and ISMEO – The International Association of Mediterranean and Oriental Studies. This conference discussed the current state of philology at universities and other academic institutions worldwide.

The Second General Assembly of the WPU was held in Uppsala, 6 December 2024. At the same occasion, the second WPU international conference was held, 4–6 December, hosted by Uppsala University. The main theme of the conference was Philology and the Narrative Heritage.

The Cause

The philological study of ancient and classical texts, traditionally the very core of the humanities, has during the last generation or so been either completely marginalized within university departments or, at some universities, even altogether banished from the academic portfolio.

This development is partly due to general policies of higher education, but one can argue that it is primarily a consequence of trends within the humanities themselves.

While there is ample reason to lament this development, one must also take action to ensure the preservation and flourishing of the rich academic traditions within the different fields of philology.

Without these fields, which historically and conceptually lie at the very core of the study of human culture, the very existence of the humanities as a meaningful academic activity is at risk.

It should also be emphasised that any effort to sustain and develop studies and research on historical languages today must include all the major literary traditions of the world.

Philologists in all fields should unite to promote philology as a unified discipline on all levels of education and research!

This is the purpose of the World Philology Union (WPU).

While the later meaning of the word philology is not necessarily directly related to its use by Plato in the Phaedrus, it is not uncommon that also practitioners of philology in the modern meaning incorporate into their craft something of the old meaning, viz. “love of intellectual discourse” (in the Greek context the latter is incidentally more or less synonymous with “predilection for table talk”).

To appreciate the whole story, one needs to start from the beginning of the Phaedrus. The passage in question is a part of Socrates' initial refusal to give a speech on friendship (227a–237a). Text with translation and references on Perseus.