@wethehumanities: My week discussing linguistics and languages on Twitter

Twitter is a great platform to share your work and connect with other people who are interested in similar topics and issues. In July, I took a break from tweeting from my usual account @SaschaStollhans, and I took over the @wethehumanities Twitter account for a week in July 2015 to share my thoughts on linguistics, …

Luis de Morales Altarpieces

Last Summer I spent time visiting two small churches in Extremadura, in western Spain. St Martin’s, in the town of Plasencia, towards the north, is now closed. The church Our Lady of the Assumption is an active parish church in the heart of the village of Arroyo de la Luz, near the city of Cáceres. …

Theatre Practice Vs. Academic Research

The relationship between theatre practitioners and academics has long been fraught, each camp viewing the other with equal suspicion and ensuring that the other is kept well at arm’s length. That’s why when a suitable opportunity arises to bridge this gap, either as a practitioner or in the world of academia, I leap on it. …

Visiting the Valley of the Fallen

I have recently returned from a visit to one of Spain’s most (in)famous monuments, El Valle de los Caídos (The Valley of the Fallen), where I was doing an interview with some journalists from the BBC. I first visited the monument in 2009, and having spent the best part of five years researching and writing …

Portuguese Masterpiece Destroyed in Christmas Eve Fire

A painting of the Holy Family by Josefa de Óbidos (1630-1684), the greatest Portuguese painter of the seventeenth century, was destroyed in a fire in the church of the Holy Cross Monastery in Bussaco, near the university town of Coimbra, on Christmas Eve. The fire is believed to have been caused by an electrical short …

Gibraltar: More than ‘Britain in the Sun’

On the back of successful viewing figures, Channel 5 has lost little time in commissioning a second series of its fly-on-the-wall documentary ‘Gibraltar: Britain in the Sun‘. Notwithstanding the personal trials and tribulations of the individuals featured in the programme, the overall picture presented of Gibraltar is overwhelmingly positive. Glossy production values, quick edits, overlapping …

The New Pope and Latin America

Had a Latin American been elected Pope in 1978 (when John Paul II was chosen), he would probably have been someone influenced by the politically progressive ‘Liberation Theology’ which (declaring ‘an option for the poor’) then dominated Church thinking there. Now, however, the election of Argentina’s Jorge Bergoglio (as Francis I), following three decades of …

Women and Independence in Latin America: Empowerment through Art

Being a Latin American woman in this country you must be very brave in whatever comes along. Even if things get hard at a certain stage, it is very important to continue to work hard, following your ideals and defending your points of view. These are the words of Evelyn, an Ecuadorian teenager who has …