Elena Castro

Professor of Spanish 

Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin, 2001
Phone: 225-578-5178
E-mail: [email protected]
Office: 322 Hodges Hall

Area of Interest

Twentieth and twenty-first century Spanish Peninsular Poetry and Poetics, Gender and Sexualities, Women Studies. Twentieth and twenty-first century Spanish Peninsular Literatures, Cultural Studies and Interdisciplinary approaches to Hispanic Literatures. Contemporary Latin American Poetry and Poetics.

Recent Teaching

Graduate

"Disidencias de género, disidencias sexuales. Representaciones y retos de las multitudes queer en el estado español" (SPAN 7961)
La(s) mujer(es) y los procesos postidentitarios en la literature española actual. De los postfeminismos y transfeminismos a los transnacionalismos. (SPAN 7961)
¿Quién cuenta la historia? La Guerra civil y el franquismo. Lecturas desde el presente y el pasado. (SPAN 7961)
Identidades y deseos alternativos.  Lecturas queer de la poesía española actual (SPAN-7961)
Introduction to Trans-Atlantic Queer Studies (CPLT 7120/SPAN 7970)
Poetas españolas contemporáneas (SPAN-7961)
Teorías dramáticas del teatro español: el siglo XX (SPAN-7961)
Un deseo propio: relatos lesbianos en la narrativa contemporánea española (SPAN 4064)
“Voces olvidadas”: las mujeres de la vanguardia española (SPAN 4063)
Topics in Hispanic Cultural Studies (SPAN-4400)
Introduction to Hispanic Cultural Studies (SPAN-4400)
Topics in Interdisciplinary Studies “The Promised Land. On Queer Bodies and Nations” (CPLT 7140)
Special Topics in Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies: “Queer Affects and Emotions. Contemporary LGTBQ+ Cultures”. (WGS 7500)
Special Topics in Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies: “Queering the Transnational: Conversations on Migration, Queer and Transgender Studies in the Iberian Peninsula” (WGS-7500/SPAN-7970)
Special Topics in Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies: “Trans-Atlantic Queer: Literary and Cultural Hispanism” (WGS-7500/CPLT-7120/SPAN-7970)
Special Topics in Women’s and Gender Studies: “Global Trans: Conversations on Bodies and Borders. National, Queer and Transgender Studies” (WGS-4500)
Special Topics in Hispanic Criticism: “Research Methods in Cultural and Literary Studies: A Queer Approach.” (SPAN-7990)

Undergraduate

Literary Analysis (SPAN-3020)
Advance Conversation (SPAN-2156)
Advance Grammar and Composition (SPAN-3010)
Survey of Spanish Literature: XVIII Century to the Present (SPAN-3072)
Spanish Civilization (SPAN-3073)
Spanish Literature since 1936 (SPAN-4064)
Spanish Textual Commentary (SPAN-2155)
Topics in Hispanic Cultural Studies (SPAN-4400)
Introduction to Hispanic Cultural Studies (SPAN-4400)
Un deseo propio: relatos lesbianos en la narrativa contemporánea española (SPAN 4064)
“Voces olvidadas”: las mujeres de la vanguardia española (SPAN 4063)

Special Topics in Women’s and Gender Studies: “Global Trans: Conversations on National, Queer and Transgender Studies” (WGS-4500)

Fellowships

Fellowship, Faculty Development Summer Institute, Communication Across the Curriculum Initiative. May 2018
SEC Fellow 2017-2018 in the Southeastern Conference Academic Leadership Development Program for Higher-Level Administration in Higher Education (SEC ADLP). Program Sponsored by the Southeastern Conference (SEC). 2017-2018.
Distinguished Visiting Research Scholar (by invitation), University of Barcelona, Barcelona Spain, Summer 2017.
Distinguished Visiting Research Scholar (by invitation), University of Barcelona, Barcelona Spain, Spring 2017.
Distinguished Visiting Research Scholar (by invitation), University of Barcelona, Barcelona Spain, Summer 2016.
Research Fellowship, Louisiana State University, Spring 2017.
Research Fellowship, Louisiana State University, Fall 2009.
Research Fellowship, Louisiana State University, Fall 2005.
NEH Summer Seminar Participant: “Critical Approaches to Hispanic Poetry at the Turn of the Twenty-first Century”. The University of Kansas, June 16-July 25, 2003.

Awards & Honors

AATSP First Time Attendee Award 2006, Faculty Category, The American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, Summer 2006.
Most Accommodating Faculty/Staff Member Award, Louisiana State University, Office of Disability Services, Spring 2003.
Victoria Urbano Prize 1999 (premio de ensayo crítico Victoria Urbano 1999) granted by the Asociación de literatura femenina hispánica (ALFH), Fall-1999.
Excellence in Teaching Award, The University of Texas at Austin, Spring 2000.

SEC Academic Leadership Development Program Alumni Fellowship 2019-2020.

Award for Outstanding Faculty Contribution to the Women’s and Gender Studies Program. Granted by the WGS Faculty for excellence in contribution to the WGS Program through research, teaching, and service to the program May 2018.

Grants Awarded

College of Humanities & Social Sciences Strategic Excellence Fund Grant 2019-2020. Project: Inviting to campus internationally -renown scholar in global sexuality studies, Sayak Valencia. Louisiana State University, Fall 2019. Amount: $2,000.

Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Grant. Project: Inviting to campus internationally -renown scholar in global sexuality studies, Sayak Valencia. Louisiana State University, Fall 2019. Amount: $1,000.

College of Humanities & Social Sciences Strategic Excellence Fund Grant 2018-2019. Project: “On the Basis of Sex. Conversations on in/equality and diversity. Coming together as a community”. Louisiana State University, Spring 2019. Amount: $1,750.

Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Grant. Project: “On the Basis of Sex. Conversations on in/equality and diversity. Coming together as a community”. Louisiana State University, Spring 2019. Amount: $1,000.

College of Humanities & Social Sciences Strategic Excellence Fund Grant 2017-2018. Project: “Trans Lives Lectures Series: talks by Jack Halberstam and Susan Stryker”. Louisiana State University, Fall 2017. Amount: $1,500.

Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Grant. Project: “Trans Lives Lectures Series Project: “Trans Lives Lectures Series: talks by Jack Halberstam and Susan Stryker” Fall 2017. Amount: $1,000.

Manship Research Summer Fellowship, College of Humanities & Social Sciences, Louisiana State University, Summer 2016. Amount: $5,000

Summer Research Grant, College of Humanities & Social Sciences, Louisiana State University, Summer 2014. Amount: $5,000

Summer Research Grant, College of Humanities & Social Sciences, Louisiana State University, Summer 2012. Amount: $5,000

Research Grant, Program of Cultural Cooperation Between Spain and U. S. Universities, University of Minnesota, September 2009- September 2010. Amount: $5,000

Council on Research Summer Stipend, Louisiana State University, Summer 2003. Amount: $5,000

Research Grant, Program for Cultural Cooperation between Spain and U.S Universities, University of Minnesota, September 2002-September 2003. Amount: $3,000

Conference Grant, Program for Cultural Cooperation Between Spain and U.S. Universities, University of Minnesota, Spring 2004.

Conference grant, Consejería de Educación de la Embajada de España, Education Project, Baton Rouge, Spring, 2004.

Selected Publications

Edited Volumes

Elena Castro. (Ed). Naciones incorporadas. Los proyectos nacionales y el control de los cuerpos en la Península e Iberoamérica. Letras Femeninas. A Journal of Women & Gender Studies in Hispanic Literatures & Cultures. Special Issue. 42.1 Summer-Fall 2016.

Books

Poesía lesbiana queer. Cuerpos y sujetos inadecuados. Barcelona: Icaria, 2014. 

Cos Textual- Sexual. Cuerpo sexual-textual. Inscripcions del design lèsbic a la poesia  espanyola contemporània. Inscripciones del deseo lésbico en la poesía española contemporánea.  Barcelona: Sehen-UOC (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya), 2012 .
La subversión del espacio poético en el surrealismo español, Madrid: Visor, 2008

Articles

“Sexual dissidence and memoria histórica in Donde nadie te encuentre, by Alicia Giménez Bartlett” in Transnational Discourses of Peripheral Sexualities in the Hispanic World. Eds. Michael Horswell and Nuria Godón. Journal of Language and Sexuality. Special Issue 5.2 (Fall 2016): 182-196.                                  

"Representaciones y retos de las multitudes queer. La era posgénero en el Estado español." Hacia una redefinición del feminismo y los estudios de género en el siglo XXI. Eds. Margaret Frohlich and Ana Corbalán. Letras Femeninas, summer issue 2015 (forthcoming 2015.)

“Desig en trànsit: amor, desamor i erotisme lesbià a Habitación de hotel, de Cristina Peri Rossi”  Acccions I reinvencions. Cultures lésbiques al tombat del sigle XX-XXI. Ed Meri Torras . Barcelona: Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC): 2012. 133-43.
“Identidad queer en la poesía de Concha García” Ambito Feminista fall 2011: 59-69.
“Lesbian Identity: (Dis)appearing Act in Gloria Fuertes’ Poetry.”  In the Words of Gloria Fuertes. Ed. Margaret H. Persin, Lewisburg: Bucknell University Press, 2011. 82- 99.
“Identidad lésbica: ausencia y presencia en la poesía de Gloria Fuertes” “ Ellas y nosotras. Elina Norandi. Ed. Barcelona: Egales, 2009. 37-51.
“Paloma por dentro. La colaboración interartística de Lorca y Neruda en Paloma por dentro: el ejemplo de la metáfora lineal” Chasqui 37,1 (May 2008): 89-104.
“Apuntes de ciudades: Ana Rossetti y la visión femenina del espacio urbano” Poesía hispánica contemporánea escrita por mujeres. Ed. Tina Escaja. Universitas Castellae v.10 (2007): 141-158.

“Broadway, y el mundo Disney en Ana María Moix y Katy Parra”] in United States in Hispanic literatures [Estados Unidos en las letras hispánicas.] Ed. Txetxu Aguado and Loreto Busquets. Studi Ispanici. Special Issue. XLIV 2019: 261-275. (International Peer Review Journal published in Roma-Pisa).

“LGTBQ+ Politics and Poetics in José Infante y Txus García” [“Políticas y poéticas LGTBQ+ . . . ] in Among Others. Queer Perspectives in Hispanic World. Eds. Rafael Mérida (Spain), Jorge Luis Peralta (Argentina) & Lukasz Smuga (Poland). InterAlia. An International Journal of Queer Studies. Special Issue. 12. 2017: 21-39. (International Pee Review, Scholarly Electronic Journal, Open Access. Poland).

“Introducction” en Naciones incorporadas. Ed. Elena Castro. Letras Femeninas. A Journal of Women & Gender Studies in Hispanic Literatures & Cultures Special Issue. 42.1 (Summer-Fall 2016): 15-21.

Notable Activities

( keynote speaker) “The Cultural Politics of Queer Art. How to make a technogender body and why it matters.” As Guest speaker in the Queeramics 2019 International Symposium. October 9-11. College of Arts and Design, Louisiana State University. October 10, 2019.

(guest speaker“) ‘Sale caro, señores, ser poeta [queer]’: La poesía de Gloria Fuertes y Txus Garcia,” sponsored by the LGTBQ+ and feminist intellectual group “Los oficios terrestres” and the Universitat de les Illes Balears. Palma de Mallorca, Spain, July 21, 2017.

(guest speaker)“Retos de las multitudes queer. La era posgénero,” in Summer Speakers Series “My Body is a political Space” organized by The Research Center for Theory, Gender and Sexuality, University of Barcelona, Spain. Barcelona, July 4, 2017.

(guest speaker) “La poesía queer de los años 70” in Speakers Series “The future of the revolt” commemorating the 40th anniversary of the LGTBQ+ social activism in Spain. Organized by the European Research Project HERA “CRUSEV-Cruising the 1970s: Unearthing pre-AIDS/HIV Queer Sexual Cultures,” sponsored by European Union. Madrid, Spain: June 26-27, 2017.

(guest speaker) “Cuerpos (Trans)nacionales. Interseccioanalidad y Assamblage en Pornoburka, de Brigitte Vasallo” at The Research Center for Theory, Gender and Sexuality, University of Barcelona, Spain, March 29, 2017.

(guest speaker) “Halberstam’s work and Trans Bodies” Round Table/Panel Discussion with Jack Halberstam under the title of “Cossos trans” (Trans Bodies). Centre de Cultura Contemporánia de Barcelona (CCCB). Barcelona, Spain, March 9, 2017.

(guest speaker) “La poesía (in)visible de Gloria Fuertes: ‘sale caro, señores, ser poeta’ [lesbiana]” at Hamilton College, (Madrid Campus) & Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Madrid, Spain. November 24-25, 2014.

(Guest Speaker in seminar) “Subjetividades queer en la poesía española” Part I. Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Spain. Seminario del Master Oficial de estudios de género y sexualidad. October 22, 2012.
(Guest Speaker in seminar) “Subjetividades queer en la poesía española” Part II. Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Spain. Seminario del Master Oficial de estudios de género y sexualidad. October 23, 2012.
(Guest Speaker) "La poesía (in)visible de Gloria Fuertes: 'sale caro, señores, ser poeta [lesbiana] '" International Symposium “Poetas del 50, Textos y contextos”, Universitat de les Illes Balears (proyecto I+D+I del MICINN “las poetas del 50, textos y contextos” ref. FFI2010-19435)  October  25,26,27, 2012.

(Guest Speaker ) “En su propia voz: identidad lesbiana en la poesía de Gloria Fuertes” Universidad de Córdoba, Spain, April 26, 2011.

(Guest Speaker) “El género (en) cubierto: performatividad y juego de máscaras en la poesía de Lucia Sánchez Saornil” Universitat de les Illes Balears, Spain. April 19,  2011

(Guest Speaker) “Representaciones y retos de gays y lesbianas”, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Spain, April 14, 2011

(Guest Speaker) “(Des)haciendo el género: la poesía lesbiana de la posguerra española. Primer encuentro de Escritoras Sáficas, Universidad Nacional  Autónoma de Mexico. Mexico D.F. November 24-26, 2010.

(Guest Speaker) “Cuerpo textual-sexual. Inscripciones del deseo lésbico en la poesía española contemporánea.” Corpografías II: Género, otredad y diferencia. Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. April 12-15, 2010.

(Guest Speaker) “La poesía de Concha García. Una lectura queer”. Conference on Spanish and  Hispanic-American Poetry. Wake Forest University. April 9-10, 2010.

(Guest Speaker in seminar) “(Des)haciendo el género: poesía lesbiana española” Part II. Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Spain. Seminario del Master Oficial de estudios de género y sexualidad. December 1, 2009.

(Guest Speaker in seminar) “(Des)haciendo el género: poesía lesbiana española.” Part I. Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Spain. Seminario del Master Oficial de estudios de género y sexualidad. November 30, 2009.

(Guest Speaker)  “‘Chicas raras: voces lésbicas en la España (pre)republicana” Fundación Francesca Bonnameison, Barcelona, Spain. October 23, 2009.

(Guest Speaker) “Voces (im)posibles: pensamientos y miradas de escritoras lesbianas” Fundación Entredós, Madrid, October 17, 2009.

(Guest Speaker) “La narrativa lesbiana actual. Reflexiones sobre su evolución desde los años 60 hasta nuestros días” Fundación Francesca Bonnameison, Barcelona, Spain. September 18, 2009.

(Guest Speaker) “La poesía de Gloria Fuertes” Wester Kentucky University, mayo 5, 2009.