James Iffland to Retire
James (Jim) Iffland, professor of Spanish, is retiring from BU after a lengthy 49 year career as a teacher, scholar, and mentor.
Iffland earned his PhD in Spanish from Brown University and joined Boston University in 1974. During his almost fifty years in the Department of Romance Studies, he has excelled in all areas of teaching, research, and service. From the very beginning, he challenged disciplinary boundaries and methodological frameworks and defined new approaches to the study of literature and culture. As he forged a path as one of the foremost specialists in Golden Age Spanish Literature with outstanding works such as the two-volume Quevedo and the Grotesque (1978, 1982), De fiestas y aguafiestas: risa, locura e ideología en Cervantes y Avellaneda (1999), and Usos y abusos: ensayos sobre el destino social del “Quijote” (in press), he also became a leading voice in Latin American Studies with trailblazing works like Ensayos sobre la poesía revolucionaria de Centroamérica (2016), and the two-volume and critically-acclaimed Para llegar a Roque Dalton: pequeños infiernos y otros paraísos (estudio político-poético) (2021). It is this interdisciplinarity and openness to new methods of research and collaboration that have become a hallmark of not only Iffland’s pedagogy, but also his remarkable scholarly career.
Iffland’s indefatigable spirit and unrelenting hard work in Peninsular and Latin American Studies have been recognized with the highest honors. In 2010, he was inducted into the Royal Order of Isabel la Católica by the Spanish government, receiving The Officer’s Cross in recognition for his contributions to the study and dissemination of Spanish and Latin American culture. In 2014, he was conferred a Certificate of Recognition by the Salvadoran Consul-General in Boston for his contributions to the study of Central American culture and history. And in 2016, he was invited by King Felipe VI of Spain to the Royal Palace in Madrid as part of the awarding of the 2015 Premio Cervantes. Over the years, he has held visiting professorships at Brown, Brandeis, Boston College, Colegio de España, Harvard, MIT, and the Università degli Studi di Pavia.
In addition to his scholarly excellence, Iffland’s teaching and service to the department, the College of Arts and Sciences, and Boston University over the years have been exemplary. Indeed, he has served with distinction in several positions, including as Chair on the BU Faculty Council, and always championed the causes of equity and inclusion. He has been a tireless advocate for social justice at Boston University – he has been an outspoken participant in the 1979 BU faculty strike, the student protests of the 1980s, and the long “good fight” for strong faculty governance and academic freedom.
Throughout the years, Iffland’s boundless generosity has left an indelible mark on the BU community. He has personally counseled dozens of students, faculty, and friends in times of need, and his compassionate and supportive leadership is everywhere evident in Romance Studies. The department has been exceedingly fortunate to have Jim as a colleague and friend. As he enters a new phase of his professional journey as Emeritus Professor, he will be sorely missed.