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Iberian Studies

Our Program

The Iberian Studies Program of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at The Ohio State University rests on two fundamental concepts: first, on the deep, historical interconnections between center and periphery in the literatures and cultures of the Iberian Peninsula (i.e., those of Castile, Portugal, Galicia, Cataluña, Valencia, Andalucía, País Vasco); second, on the global interconnections between Spain/Portugal and the "rest of the world", not just in the modern period but in the medieval and early modern periods (i.e., Spain & Portugal in the continental context; Iberia in the Mediterranean world; Iberian relations with Africa, with the Near and Far East; and the critically important connection among Spain, Portugal and Latin America). These relationships comprise a range of fields such as Transatlantic and Transoceanic Studies, Colonial and Post-Colonial Studies, Migration Studies, and studies of transculturation. According to the logic of this orientation, our work includes and highlights the cultural relationships among the historical communities of Iberia, those among the Autonomías and Comunidades in today's Spain, and migrations to and from Iberia, among other critical themes in Iberian Studies.

Faculty Research Areas

Following are some of the fields of research in which our faculty is actively engaged. Information about individual professors can be found at their respective Web pages and links. The main research areas include: Medieval and Renaissance literature and culture, Early modern (Golden Age) literature and culture, Eighteenth and nineteenth-century literature and culture, Contemporary literatures and cultures, Cultural studies, Spanish arts, cultures and societies, Spanish folklore and popular literature, Theater and performance studies, Film studies, Visual culture, Galician culture, Gender theory and studies, Literary theory, Poetry and poetology, Migration studies, Transatlantic studies, Contemporary Spanish thought, Zarzuela, and Technology and the Humanities.

Graduate Students

Our graduate students come from Ohio and from across the U.S., from Spain and Latin America. The program offers them the opportunity to pursue Peninsular studies in a flexible curriculum easily tailored to their individual needs. After graduation, they have gone on to serve at many other universities and colleges, including first-rate institutions in the U.S. and abroad.

Other Relevant Activities

España Contemporánea: Revista de Literatura y Cultura, founded by Prof. Samuel Amell and directed jointly with Prof. José Carlos Mainer, from the University of Zaragoza, Spain. This journal, published at The Ohio State University, has a wide distribution in the U.S. and abroad. Since its beginnings in 1988, it has been a major factor in bringing international recognition to the Spanish Peninsular Program of Ohio State. It has been an effective venue for multifaceted analysis and scholarly research on a wide range of topics pertaining to contemporary Spanish culture. A number of graduate students have the opportunity to collaborate in the editorial process.

Scholarly meetings periodically organized by members of the faculty. Dealing with themes of vital importance to our research and teaching endeavors, such as modern Spanish film, nationalisms in contemporary Spain, and Renaissance and Baroque Hispanic poetry, these conferences have brought prominent scholars of national and international reputation to the Ohio State campus. Graduate students are always involved in such meetings.