Presenter: Anna Casas Aguilar, Associate Professor of Spanish (FHIS)
Respondent: Mirta Roncagalli, PhD Student of Hispanic Studies (FHIS)
About the talk:
Novels such as Les possessions (2018) by Llucia Ramis, documentary films such as Hotel Explotación: Las Kellys (2018) by Georgina Cisquella or City for Sale (2019) by Laura Álvarez Soler, graphic novels such as Todo bajo el sol (2021) by Ana Penyas or the essays Verano sin vacaciones. Las hijas de la Costa del sol (2023) by Ana Geranios, Estuve aquí y me acordé de nosotros (2024) by Anna Pacheco or Gozo by Azahara Alonso can be considered some of most representative examples of the growing interest that a new generation of female artists, writers and directors have taken on the theme of tourism in Spain. Through changing landscapes and new buildings such seafront hotels (massive buildings transforming waterfront spaces), through objects (particularly souvenirs) and through the overworked bodies of workers (in their majority female), these authors speak of a material world that replaces a disappearing one: an irrecuperable family house, a childhood landscape, certain promised work conditions, the physical and mental health of their loved ones. My presentation will look closely at the journal/essay Verano sin vacaciones. Las hijas de la Costa del sol (2023) by Ana Geranios to explore this. I argue that Geranio’s text, along with these other works, aims to make visible the big lie that surrounds the tourist industry in a neoliberal and consumerist society: that tourism is a source of richness and prosperity. On the contrary, these works make the case that tourism is related to lost, exploitative conditions, economic poverty, decline of culture and the disappearance of autochthonous traditions, and with all this, of a more sustainable way of life. In this way, female authors focus on the most pressing and evident material elements and on an increasingly challenging day by day to portray the impact of tourism in their surroundings.
Registration:
About the FHIS Research Seminar: Hosted by the Department of French, Hispanic and Italian Studies (FHIS), the Research Seminar is an opportunity to explore current research and ideas related to the languages, literatures and cultures of the Romance language-speaking world, with presentations from faculty members, graduate students, and/or guest speakers. All are welcome.
If you have questions, please contact Dr. Katharina Piechocki (katharina.piechocki@ubc.ca).
UBC Vancouver is situated on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) People.
