All information on Spanish research can be found on the Faculty’s Research website.
Research Activities
Out of the Wings is an AHRC-funded project in collaboration with King’s College London and Queen’s University Belfast. The project aims to make the riches of the theatres of Spain and Spanish America accessible to English-speaking researchers and theatre professionals.
Dr. Jonathan Thacker (Merton College) is one of the directors for the project, while Dr. Kathleen Jeffs (New College) is a member of the research team. Recently, they held a symposium in Oxford on ‘Spanish Golden Age Drama in Translation and Performance’, on 18-19 March 2010.
‘Autoridad y poder en el Siglo de Oro’ — The University of Oxford participates in a research network with the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris, the Universität Münster, and the Universidad de Navarra (GRISO) on the topic of ‘Autoridad y poder en el Siglo de Oro’. The universities collaborate on a series of colloquia, the most recent having been held in Paris in November of 2009. Oxford hosted the second session of the colloquium in 2007, focusing on the topic of ‘Autoridad y autoría’. For further information, please contact Professor Edwin Williamson.
The Forum for Iberian Studies (FIS) is a vehicle for the discussion of Iberian Cultures at Oxford. The XIV Forum for Iberian Studies, ‘The Limits of Literary Translation’, was held at Exeter College, Oxford on 24-25 June 2010.
‘Developmental language disorders: Pilot study of a Spanish-Valencian bilingual with genetic disorder’ is a pilot research project, funded by a John Fell research grant (PI Dr. Paloma Garcia-Bellido, St. Cross College), in collaboration with the Genetics Unit of the University Hospital La Fe of Valencia (Spain). Its aim is to contribute to the understanding of how genetic anomalies may disrupt brain functions which support speech and language, so that ultimately efficient intervention can be found to help those who are affected.
Conferences
Sub-faculty members often collaborate to develop conferences and colloquia on a variety of topics. These conferences attract researchers and speakers from around the university, as well as throughout the UK and internationally. Some of the most recent conferences include the following:
Golden Age Graduate Symposium (January 2011) — In 2010, doctoral students Naomi Walker (Exeter College) and Alice Brooke (Merton College) coordinated the first Oxford Graduate Symposium in Spanish Golden Age Studies, titled ‘Looking at the World Sideways’. Papers were given by graduate students and researchers from throughout the UK. The keynote address was delivered by Professor Jeremy Robbins on narration and digression in the Persiles. The second symposium, ‘Disguise in the Spanish Golden Age’, was held in January 2011 and will feature Dr. Isabel Torres as the keynote speaker. For more information on the symposium, please see the CFP or contact the coordinators.
‘El libro en el mundo hispánico: nuevas tendencias y direcciones’, an international conference on the History of the Book, was held in Magdalen College on Monday 20 and Tuesday 21 September, 2010 (organisers: Dr. Juan-Carlos Conde and Dr. Clive Griffin).
Reading Groups
In addition to its seminars and colloquia, the Spanish sub-faculty also sponsors three graduate reading groups. The Latin American Reading Group and the Golden Age Reading Group meet in alternate weeks to discuss readings and works in progress in an informal setting. The Contemporary Spanish Reading Group meets twice a term to read works published in Spain (in Basque, Catalan, Galician, and Spanish) in the last five years. Reading group discussions have led to the development of several conference presentations: most recently, six postgraduate students gave a panel discussion on Women’s Poetry at the Women in Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies (WISPS) conference in October 2009.
