A four-day workshop held in the Gut Siggen Seminar Centre, thanks to the support of the Alfred Toepfer Foundation. It featured a mixture of seminars, case studies and brainstorming sessions. In advance of the meeting, participants were asked to read a number of articles and book chapters outlining specific methodological and theoretical questions in comparative and trans-national studies. The aim of this longer workshop was to consolidate the identity of the group and to create a space where participants would feel free to explore theories of cultural/literary exchange and cultural mediation away from the standard format of academic conferences.