Faculty News

Cercles, l’hàbitat protohistòric de l’illa de Menorca

Octavio Torres, PhD and Amalia Pérez-Juez, PhD (coord.)

This book explores the study of protohistoric domestic spaces in Menorca, focusing on the archaeological structures known as cercles. It stems from a scientific forum celebrated in 2022 and funded by the Consell Insular de Menorca which aimed at reassessing these structures beyond their typological definitions, addressing key questions such as their spatial organization, functions, external courtyards, urban groupings, chronology, and later reuse during Roman and Andalusian periods. The work emphasizes interdisciplinary methodologies at both micro- and macro-scales to deepen understanding, encourages scholarly debate to establish a coherent yet dynamic interpretation, and seeks to enhance the dissemination of research findings. Additionally, it supported the nomination of Talayotic Menorca as a UNESCO World Heritage site by fostering collaboration among archaeologists, policymakers, and the wider community.

Alberto Greco’s Vivo-Dito, Lettrism, and the Prophecies of the Proper Name

Fernando Herrero Matoses, PhD 

This chapter explores the legacy of Lettrism in the practices of Argentine artist Alberto Greco as a means of investigating the self-proclaimed prophetic narrative of neo-avant-garde artists in Paris in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It examines how Greco’s ephemeral public actions (Vivo-Dito) in the streets of Paris, Buenos Aires, or Madrid, in which he repeatedly proliferated his own name as both signature and work of art, opened up exploratory avenues in which the artistic self was both inscribed and dispossessed. This text builds on Andrew Hussey’s interpretation of Isidore Isou’s artistic practice as a field of poetic forces. It examines Isou’s works as aesthetic and vital possibilities for perpetual exile while creating immersive universes. It further argues that although Isou’s and Greco’s artistic trajectories were different, they shared a common conception of the prophetic and messianic dimension of the artist as a proper name.

Pintar Peor (D’Aprés Eduardo): Guerrero, Campano y Martín del Pozo

Curated by: Francisco Ramallo, PhD 

Pintar peor (D’après Eduardo) revolves around the personal, artistic, educational, and coincidental relationships between artists José Guerrero, Miguel Ángel Campano, and Eduardo Martín del Pozo. The project showcases the outcomes of various encounters between them within the kaleidoscopic network of contemporary painting and its connections to previous generations.

Building on Martín del Pozo’s interest in the dialogue between painting and music—particularly the compositions of Morton Feldman (whom Philip Guston described as a conversational partner who reminded him he wasn’t crazy)—the exhibition functions as a kind of fugue that disrupts linear chronology. The relationships between the works reveal developments, variations, re-exposures, successions, and artistic or biographical echoes among the protagonists.

El País: La pintura de Eduardo Martín del Pozo toma el testigo

Espacio y Tiempo: La Alquería Andalusí entre el yacimiento de Torre d’en Galmés, Menorca

Amalia Pérez-Juez, Alexander J. Smith, Kathleen M. Forste, Helena Kirchner, Guillem Alcolea, Emma Wagner

Medieval archaeology in Spain continues to undergo conceptual and terminological revisions, with ideas constantly discussed, rejected, revisited, or nuanced, depending on the historiographical and political moment. This has resulted in different ideological shifts influencing the representation of these historical moments. The project that we present in this article aims to highlight this somewhat erratic trend in which invisible or even rejected historical periods acquire value thanks to a systematic investigation based not simply on popular ideas in the 21st century, but above all on archaeological evidence that challenges written sources and existing bibliography.

This article summarizes the Menorca Archaeological Project’s work on a medieval farm settlement at the site of Torre d’en Galmés, Menorca, and how Andalusian occupation of Talayotic sites responded to models of functional adaptation, cultural tradition, social, and religious regulations, economic needs, and domestic norms. Despite its enormous impact on the landscape, this particular historical period (902-1287 AD) suffered a damnatio memoriae, which lasted from the Christian conquest until the end of the 20th century (Pérez-Juez and Sintes, 2022). With this research we hope to recover a historical era that was allowed, intentionally or not, to fall into cultural and scientific oblivion.

A First Look at Language Contributions: 20 Years of Study Abroad in Spain and France

Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad

Cristina Pérez Calleja, Julia Carnine

In a unique learning context, language–positive environments outside the classroom, not enclosed instruction on U.S. campuses, education abroad foreign language instructors develop distinct teaching practices. Education abroad researchers have accounted for informal learning opportunities, yet few have attended to onsite language instruction. This article is a novel attempt to build understanding of transatlantic foreign language space with interviews (N = 14) of seasoned instructors (+20 years) of French and Spanish. Both are commonly taught foreign languages, with France and Spain being top education abroad destinations and offering a ‘state of the art’ view. Focusing on past training (U.S. or EU), innovations, intergenerational challenges, and complexities in assessment, we establish a basis for future research. We find that while U.S. degree–holders are more familiar with U.S. grading, it remains solely an institutional practice. Furthermore, enlisting foreign language instructor input, U.S. institutions may improve training, co–creating pedagogical guidelines with this qualified group.

How Foreign Accents Subconsciously Shape the Way We Interact

The Conversation

Luca Bazzi, Alice Foucart, Susanne Brouwer

Imagine that you invite a friend, a non-native speaker of your own language, round for dinner. While cooking, you get distracted and the food ends up burnt to a crisp. Once the smoke detector stops shrieking, your friend might crack a joke to puncture the tension, something along the lines of “Wow! I didn’t know you were such an good cook!” Among native speakers, the irony of the comment would be obvious, as is the intended response – ideally you say “Yes, I’m the best!”, then everybody laughs and you order takeaway. However, with a non-native speaker the irony of such a comment might get lost. Your friend’s lighthearted joke might come off as mean, and it could cause awkwardness or even offence.

This scenario illustrates a deep cognitive and social truth: foreign accents can have a big impact on the way we interpret meaning. In our increasingly globalised world, foreign accents are an inevitable part of communication, but studies suggest they can create barriers, not just in comprehension but also in perception of the speaker and social interaction.