Publications (List)

scholarly
voices

Exploring the history, research and academic contributions of WiSPS, highlighting the voices that have shaped its commitment to feminist scholarship, collaboration and gender studies.

Dr Liliana Chávez Díaz, Lecturer in Latin American Studies, University of St Andrews, and Dr Katie Brown, Associate Professor in Latin American Cultural Studies, University of Exeter.

WISPS XXV Annual Conference, Transforming Narratives, University of Exeter, 31 October–1 November 2025.

WISPS Scholarly Voices

WISPS Established and Emerging Voices

Women’s and gender studies have been at the heart of Women in Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin American Studies (WISPS) since its inception. WISPS, which today serves as a network for female academics and students working within Luso-Hispanic cultures in Great Britain and Ireland, emerged after a series of study days held at British higher-education institutions between June 1999 and February 2000 and was officially launched as an academic association at its first annual conference hosted by the Institute of Romance Studies in London on 12 and 13 May 2000 (Sherman Severin 2008). The aim of the newly formed association was to provide an inclusive and supportive space for collaboration, mentoring, and learning among women who felt under-represented by ‘traditional’ British Hispanism. As Chris Perriam notes, British Hispanism had been criticized for different reasons, including its Eurocentrism and its detachment from feminist and post-feminist theories, as well as gender, queer, and cultural studies. In the same article – an introduction to a special issue – Perriam (1999: 1) proudly states that ‘all the contributors look both at and away from what is conventionally and canonically constructed as the subject matter of Hispanism’.

Journal of Romance Studies (2024), 24(1), Spring. https://doi.org/10.3828/jrs.2024.2

After Clarice: Reading Lispector's Legacy in the Twenty-First Century

Explores Clarice Lispector’s enduring influence through literature, translation, visual art and interdisciplinary responses to her work.

Aesth/Ethics of Distance: (Un)Veiling Grief in Rosa Montero’s La ridícula idea de no volver a verte

Examines grief, widowhood and life writing in Rosa Montero’s work, exploring its parallels between the author and Marie Curie.

Womanart - Women, arts and the dictatorship. The cases of Portugal, Brazil and Portuguese Speaking African Countries

Explores how women artists resisted censorship and authoritarianism through literature and art in Portugal, Brazil and Portuguese-speaking Africa.

Transnational Portuguese Women Artists

Explores Portuguese women artists and intellectuals working across borders, challenging fixed ideas of national identity and cultural belonging.

Jewish Women in Rural Argentina and the Representation of Argentinidad

Analyses portrayals of Jewish women in Argentine cinema to explore national identity, cultural assimilation and the costs of belonging.

What Happens in Clipperton…: Criminality and Trauma in Isla de pasión (1989) by Laura Restrepo and Isla de bobos (2007) by Ana García Bergua

Compares two novels about Clipperton Island to explore women’s survival, violence, trauma and the representation of criminality.

Archives of Human Rights and Historical Memory: An Analysis of Archival Practices ‘From Below’ in Four NGOs in Colombia

Investigates how four Colombian NGOs collect and preserve grassroots archives documenting human rights abuses and memories of armed conflict.

Recovering Refugee Stories: Chilean Refugees and World University Service

Examines the experiences of Chilean refugees supported by World University Service after the 1973 coup, combining archival research and personal testimonies.

Nunca Invisibles: Insurgent Memory and Self-Representation by Female Ex-Combatants in Colombia

Explores how former women combatants in Colombia use documentary film to reclaim their experiences and shape public memories of conflict.

Women in Transition: Crossing Boundaries, Crossing Borders

Explores how women navigate cultural, political, geographical and personal boundaries, with a focus on identity, belonging and empowerment.

Mulheres e o Sistema Interamericano de Proteção aos Direitos Humanos – Direitos Políticos, Violência Doméstica e Pandemia

Examines women’s political rights and domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic through the work of the Inter-American human rights system.

Direitos Reprodutivos e a Autonomia da Mulher sobre o Próprio Corpo: Esterilização Forçada e Dignidade da Pessoa Humana

Examines reproductive autonomy and forced sterilisation in Brazil, tracing legal protections and violations of women’s bodily rights.

Historical Dictionary of Eva Perón

Traces the life, political influence and enduring legacy of Eva Perón, examining her iconic status and challenge to gender barriers in Argentina.

Feminism in Spain: A History of Love and Hate

Reflects on the history of feminism in Spain and emerging challenges involving gender, migration, technology and social change.

Echoes of empowerment: Women's voices across the Latin American, lusophone, and Spanish cultures

Highlights women’s voices and experiences across Latin American, Lusophone and Spanish cultures, with a focus on empowerment.

Violeta Parra's Visual Art: Painted Songs

Examines Violeta Parra’s embroideries, paintings and sculptures, revealing connections between Chilean folk culture, protest music and modern art.

Auteurism, Machismo-Leninismo, and Other Issues: Women's Labor in Andean Oppositional Film Production

Recovers overlooked contributions of women to political filmmaking in Bolivia and Peru, challenging male-centred histories of Andean cinema.

Economia dos Cuidados: Quem Perde com o Pandemônio Feminino na Pandemia?

Investigates how the COVID-19 pandemic intensified women’s unpaid care responsibilities and exposed inequalities in domestic labour and public policy.

scholarly voices