May 29, 2020
Inspired by women writers from around the world, Dr. Laura Margarita Febres has been a renowned specialist of Latin American literature and history for over three decades. But the political upheaval and economic crisis in Venezuela prevented her from continuing her illustrious career.
Through a partnership between IIE-SRF and the University of Alcalá in Spain, Febres has been able to resume her academic work at the university’s Research Institute for Latin American Studies. She is conducting research on Spanish novels about migration that are authored by women.
Febres has been welcomed by the Spanish-language literary community to share her body of work at multiple regional and global forums. While undertaking her fellowship, she joined the 13th International Meeting of Female Writers in Morocco, with support from IIE-SRF. She presented her latest paper, entitled “Three novels of Venezuelan migration written by women in the 21st century.”
Febres also participated in a forum on Venezuela, alongside Venezuelan economic and human rights experts, held on her University of Alcalá campus. She discussed her project, “Experiences of a university professor in Venezuela.”
Febres expresses gratitude for the new scholarly connections that have benefited her work. “Having the opportunity to be in contact with Latin American, French, and Spanish writers whose novels discuss gender and migration problems is so important for the Spanish-speaking [academic] world. Making these connections during my position at the University of Alcalá has been very fruitful for reflecting on the problems in my country from perspectives that differ from those I’ve heard within Venezuela.”