Manuel González de la Aleja, “Habits of the Heart: The Concept of Culture or Why Did the Titanic Sink?”
Dr Manuel González de la Aleja‘s passion for Literature in English and Cultural Studies shines through his research and teaching career. From his PhD dissertation to exploring the impact of historical events on national cultures, his publications unravel the significance of popular genres in shaping the myths of nations like the US, Canada, and the UK.
Breaking free from literary canon boundaries, he has taught courses such as «Non-Canon Literature» and «American Pulp Fiction,» delving into the unexplored realms of Cultural Studies. He has been part of different research projects on the presence of English-speaking volunteers in the Spanish Civil War, leading to insightful publications about how these people perceived Spanish culture. He is now lecturer at the University of Salamanca.
Beyond academia, Dr Manuel González de la Aleja indulges in Westerns, Horror (especially Stephen King), and Detective fiction. But, work aside, he enjoys quality time with his wife, engages in squash, and relishes beer with friends.
Aroa Orrequia-Barea, «Discrimination, Rubiales and Pinkwashing: Action Research to Fight Social Wrongdoings»
Dr. Aroa Orrequia-Barea. She is a lecturer at the French and English Department at the University of Cádiz, where she teaches Semantics and Contrastive Linguistics at the undergraduate level and Applied Linguistics for postgraduate studies. Her main research interests are Corpus Linguistics and (Critical) Discourse Studies, which she applies to a wide range of topics, mainly current and trendy ones. She is interested in raising awareness in social and political issues.
Dr. Orrequia-Barea has published about the analysis of political speeches in different contexts, such as electoral debates or Brexit and the media representation of crises, such as the COVID-19 one. She also researches and publishes on Sentiment Analysis and Lexicography. She has participated in some funded research projects in Sentiment Analysis and is currently leading a research project in the elaboration of multilingual parallel corpora of onomatopoeias.
On a personal note, Dr. Orrequia-Barea is a doglover and a bookworm. She has two dogs, Pepito and Mol, who are always by her side when reading. She also loves travelling with them in her campervan so you might see her in any place in the world.
Sergio López Martínez, “’In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.’ Information Structure in the History of the English Language”
Dr. Sergio López Martínez, former ASYRAS President, is a lecturer at the English, French and German Department of the University of Oviedo, where he currently teaches Linguistics and Phonetics. His research focuses on Syntax and Information Structure in the history of the English language, particularly in the Old and Middle English periods.
Dr. López Martínez obtained his PhD from the University of Oviedo with his thesis on Embedded Topicalisation in Old English. He has been a visiting researcher at the University of Edinburgh and the University of Nijmegen, and has taught at the University of Kent. Apart from his linguistic interests, he is a devoted Tolkien lover, and has also published a chapter on the medieval influences found in Tolkien’s work.
Outside his working hours, Dr. López Martínez will probably be found at his local box practicing Crossfit or enjoying a beer with his friends. He loves videogames and music, and is keen on drawing when he finds the motivation.
