Alejandro Santaflorentina is a teacher at the Universitat de Girona (Spain). His research locates itself at the intersection of the disciplines of Visual Culture and Education. He has worked as a teaching assistant at the School of Languages and Literatures, University of Guelph (Canada). As a graduate student in the Erasmus-Mundus Programme “Crossways in Cultural Narratives”, he has studied in Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan (Poland), University of Guelph (Canada) and Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (France). He has a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts with specialization in Cultural Pedagogies, from the Universitat de Barcelona (Spain). Supervisors: Clive Thomson, Sandra Parmegiani, Aida Sanchez de Serdio Martín, and Fernando Hernández Hernández
Erasmus Mundus Masters Crossways in Cultural Narratives How do we socially negotiate what is seen... more Erasmus Mundus Masters Crossways in Cultural Narratives How do we socially negotiate what is seen or not seen in an institution? This dissertation posits the idea that educational institutions reproduce social exclusions and inequalities both through verbal exchanges and through practices of looking; it aims to apply some theoretical frameworks from the field of visual studies to the study of discourse and subjectivity in the context of higher education. The first part of this dissertation summarizes some of the general currents within the field of sociology of education on the study of the "hidden curriculum," and, drawing on Foucault's understanding of disciplinary power, proposes a theoretical approach based in three axes of analysis-i.e., the technical capacities, the systems of communication, and the relationships of power. Following this approach, the second part of this dissertation presents a case study at the University of Guelph. Autoethnographic methods, vis...
How do we socially negotiate what is seen or not seen in an institution? This dissertation posits... more How do we socially negotiate what is seen or not seen in an institution? This dissertation posits the idea that educational institutions reproduce social exclusions and inequalities both through verbal exchanges and through practices of looking; it aims to apply some theoretical frameworks from the field of visual studies to the study of discourse and subjectivity in the context of higher education. The first part of this dissertation summarizes some of the general currents within the field of sociology of education on the study of the “hidden curriculum,” and, drawing on Foucault’s understanding of disciplinary power, proposes a theoretical approach based in three axes of analysis – i.e., the technical capacities, the systems of communication, and the relationships of power. Following this approach, the second part of this dissertation presents a case study at the University of Guelph. Autoethnographic methods, visual methodologies and qualitative interviews are combined to collect data that are examined according to the defined axes of analysis. Different pedagogical approaches that draw from art education and critical theory are offered to address the non-verbal processes identified within each axis of analysis: “invisible pedagogies” deal with the discursive aspects of the pedagogical settings; “pedagogies of touch” address the role of affect and the body in the reproduction of discourse; and “performative pedagogies” are used to address power relations and to allow for multiple subject-positions in the student-teacher relationship. All of these approaches draw on concepts currently being used in curriculum studies, the aim of this dissertation being to contribute to the development of critical perspectives in relation to the role of the visual in educational research.
During 2010 & 2011, two volunteers, students from the Faculty of Fine Arts from the University of... more During 2010 & 2011, two volunteers, students from the Faculty of Fine Arts from the University of Barcelona, have developed a project in a support centre for people with addiction problems. This center is Centre d'Atenció i Seguiment (CAS) in Sants district from Barcelona. In this article we present both the theoretical framework and a summary of the educational experience in order to substantiate how Artistic Mediation contributes to the process of social reintegration of individuals with addictions.
“How does a literary text become a medium of memory?” (Erll, 144) The capacity of literary texts ... more “How does a literary text become a medium of memory?” (Erll, 144) The capacity of literary texts to function as medium of Cultural Memory rests on their narrative processes and strategies of remembering and forgetting. It is the object of literary criticism interested in memory to explore these processes. Origines (2004) is a family memoir by Amin Maalouf with a very particular methodology for looking at the past. In this memoir, memory is closely connected to identity and genealogy. The author conceives genealogical relations as a rhizome in which identities are constantly reconstructed and renegotiated through affective bonds. His reflective style generates a narrative that looks at the past through a genealogical approach. He challenges historicism and he rethinks identities in relation to narratives of modernization and globalization. His particular conception of identity also permits him to understand memory as a tool for shaping identity in the present. This paper analyzes Maalouf’s narrative and his use of mnemonic material as a genealogical approach to memory and identity. Through the use of oral testimonies and visual documents that always remain incomplete but necessary, the author of Origines fills the gaps of his archive with a reflective style that establishes a constant dialogue between past and present.
Erasmus Mundus Masters Crossways in Cultural Narratives How do we socially negotiate what is seen... more Erasmus Mundus Masters Crossways in Cultural Narratives How do we socially negotiate what is seen or not seen in an institution? This dissertation posits the idea that educational institutions reproduce social exclusions and inequalities both through verbal exchanges and through practices of looking; it aims to apply some theoretical frameworks from the field of visual studies to the study of discourse and subjectivity in the context of higher education. The first part of this dissertation summarizes some of the general currents within the field of sociology of education on the study of the "hidden curriculum," and, drawing on Foucault's understanding of disciplinary power, proposes a theoretical approach based in three axes of analysis-i.e., the technical capacities, the systems of communication, and the relationships of power. Following this approach, the second part of this dissertation presents a case study at the University of Guelph. Autoethnographic methods, vis...
How do we socially negotiate what is seen or not seen in an institution? This dissertation posits... more How do we socially negotiate what is seen or not seen in an institution? This dissertation posits the idea that educational institutions reproduce social exclusions and inequalities both through verbal exchanges and through practices of looking; it aims to apply some theoretical frameworks from the field of visual studies to the study of discourse and subjectivity in the context of higher education. The first part of this dissertation summarizes some of the general currents within the field of sociology of education on the study of the “hidden curriculum,” and, drawing on Foucault’s understanding of disciplinary power, proposes a theoretical approach based in three axes of analysis – i.e., the technical capacities, the systems of communication, and the relationships of power. Following this approach, the second part of this dissertation presents a case study at the University of Guelph. Autoethnographic methods, visual methodologies and qualitative interviews are combined to collect data that are examined according to the defined axes of analysis. Different pedagogical approaches that draw from art education and critical theory are offered to address the non-verbal processes identified within each axis of analysis: “invisible pedagogies” deal with the discursive aspects of the pedagogical settings; “pedagogies of touch” address the role of affect and the body in the reproduction of discourse; and “performative pedagogies” are used to address power relations and to allow for multiple subject-positions in the student-teacher relationship. All of these approaches draw on concepts currently being used in curriculum studies, the aim of this dissertation being to contribute to the development of critical perspectives in relation to the role of the visual in educational research.
During 2010 & 2011, two volunteers, students from the Faculty of Fine Arts from the University of... more During 2010 & 2011, two volunteers, students from the Faculty of Fine Arts from the University of Barcelona, have developed a project in a support centre for people with addiction problems. This center is Centre d'Atenció i Seguiment (CAS) in Sants district from Barcelona. In this article we present both the theoretical framework and a summary of the educational experience in order to substantiate how Artistic Mediation contributes to the process of social reintegration of individuals with addictions.
“How does a literary text become a medium of memory?” (Erll, 144) The capacity of literary texts ... more “How does a literary text become a medium of memory?” (Erll, 144) The capacity of literary texts to function as medium of Cultural Memory rests on their narrative processes and strategies of remembering and forgetting. It is the object of literary criticism interested in memory to explore these processes. Origines (2004) is a family memoir by Amin Maalouf with a very particular methodology for looking at the past. In this memoir, memory is closely connected to identity and genealogy. The author conceives genealogical relations as a rhizome in which identities are constantly reconstructed and renegotiated through affective bonds. His reflective style generates a narrative that looks at the past through a genealogical approach. He challenges historicism and he rethinks identities in relation to narratives of modernization and globalization. His particular conception of identity also permits him to understand memory as a tool for shaping identity in the present. This paper analyzes Maalouf’s narrative and his use of mnemonic material as a genealogical approach to memory and identity. Through the use of oral testimonies and visual documents that always remain incomplete but necessary, the author of Origines fills the gaps of his archive with a reflective style that establishes a constant dialogue between past and present.
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