Real Colegio ComplutenseCambridge, MA (USA)

July 2010Bulletin #58

Major Activities in July

July is always a busy time at RCC. The Health Leadership Seminar, co-directed by Albert Jovell and María Navarro, took place from June 29-July 2.

The Business Management Research Seminar, directed by Alvaro Cuervo, took place from July 5-9.

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Welcome to the monthly electronic bulletin of the Real Colegio Complutense at Harvard University. Its purpose is to provide, past and future researchers and interested friends, a sense of what is going on at the RCC, and to maintain the contact with our Alumni.

We invite your comments and suggestions at rcc_info@harvard.edu (Elizabeth Kline)

Ángel Saenz-Badillos, Director

RCC co-sponsored, with the David Rockefeller Center for Latin America, a seminar on Management in Public Policy: Sustainable Cities in a Globalized World from July 26-20. The seminar was coordinated by Raquel Galindo Dorado.

Because of the economic hard-times, two of the usual July seminars (Sociology & Politics and Financial Economics) did not take place this year.

The Group of Advanced Researchers arrived in early July to work for two months on the topic From Empires to Nations: Juan Francisco Fuentes, Eva Botella Ordinas, Javier Fernández Sebastian, Maria Antonia Fernández, Josep Maria Fradera, Margarita Márquez Padorno, Florentino Rodao, Octavio Ruiz Manjon, José Antonio Sánchez Román, Antonio Terrasa Lozano. A blog (http://atlanticempires.wordpress.com/.) is being written by Regina Martínez   Idarreta .

The purpose of this group, as described in the blog, is “to study how British and Spanish empires evolved and transformed from an interdisciplinary, global, Atlantic, Pan-American and comparative perspective; and how they interacted with each other in moments of war and peace, fighting, debating and in exchange. This more dynamic point of view allows a different analysis of these processes, permitting a new way of writing both imperial and national histories which would enable us to understand the entangled reality of these empires that traditional national scopes missed.”

With the arrival of the Advanced Group of Researchers in early July, RCC hosted its annual summer party on July 12th.

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Upcoming Events

Seminars

August 2-6: Research Methods in Public HealthWith DRCLAS. Dir. Sonia Hernández-Díaz, Sonia Contreras. Coord: Raquel Galindo-Dorado. http://www.uam.es/otros/rccdr/

August 9-13: Education and Technology  With DRCLAS. Academic Advisor: Christopher Dede. Coord.: Enrique Garandilla.http://www.uam.es/otros/rccdr/

Current Researchers

Continuing Researchers (with Offices at RCC)Francisco Javier Mato Díaz, Applied Economics, U. of Oviedo Judit Targarona Borrás, Hebrew and Medieval Literature Studies, UCM.Mercedes López Salvá, Classics, UCMRosa María Rodríguez Izquierdo, Mulitcultural education, U. of Pablo OlavideIsabel Hernández, German Literature, UCMAmalia Rodríguez Somolinos, French Philol., UCMMaría Luz Martínez Alarcón, Constitutional Law, U. of Castilla-La ManchaAndrés Barrera-González, Anthropology/Political Science, UCMPilar Paneque, Geography, U. Pablo de OlavideSaeid Hooshangi, Persian Mythology, UCMRocío Delibes Mateos, Latin American History, U. Pablo de OlavideMaría del Mar Chicharro, Mass Media, UCM

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Pablo González Saquero, Administrative Law, U. Juan Carlos III

New ResearchersFrancisco Javier Escalera Reyes, Social Anthropology, Pablo de OlavideEloisa Díaz Muñoz, Culture & Education, Pablo de OlavideNuria Joglar Prieto, Mathematics Education, CES Felipe II, UCMMiguel A. Abánades, Mathematics, CES Felipe II, UCMM. Lourdes Rodríguez Vilariño, Accounting, UCMJosé Antonio Sanz, Constitutional Law, UCMRocío Medina Martínez, Political Philosophy & Gender, U. Pablo de OlavideMaría Dolores Lozano Luced, Classics Philology, UCMLeonor Rams Ramos, Administrative Law, U. Rey Juan CarlosBelen Saenz-Rico de Santiago, Education, UCMMaria Luisa Gómez Jiménez, Law, U. of Málaga

Group of Advanced ResearchersJuan Francisco Fuentes, Modern History, UCMEva Botella Ordinas, Early Modern History, U. Autónoma de MadridOctavio Ruiz Manjon, Contemporary History, UCMJosep María Fradera, Spanish Colonial History, U. Pompeu FabraJavier Fernández Sebastián, History of Political Thought, U. del Pais VascoMargarita Márquez Padorno, Contemporary History, UCMJosé Antonio Sánchez Román, History, UCMFlorentino Rodao, Contemporary History, UCMMaría Antonia Fernández, Contemporary History, UCMAntonio Terrasa Lozano, History, U. of Europa (Portugal)Regina Martínez   Idarreta , PhD in History, UCM

Interview with RCC Group of Advanced Researchers

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You never know what will happen once you come to the Real Colegio Complutense at Harvard University. Juan Francisco Fuentes and Eva Botella Ordinas met at the RCC; discussed common issues as historians; and decided that “being an RCC researcher is a good habit.” So, on Eva’s initiative, they organized a group of Spanish academic scholars and submitted the successful grant application to be RCC’s 2010 Advanced Research Group.

As a Research Group, they agreed to work together for two months on a topic –, From Empire to Nation: The Making of Modern Nations in the Crisis of the Atlantic Empires (17th-20th Centuries). From the beginning, they wanted to create “something magical” from their group experience. They consciously chose a wide range of generational participants from various universities and from a diversity of perspectives.

The youngest member, Regina Martínez Idarreta, is responsible for the group’s blog. She is working on her PhD thesis and has a grant from the Ministry of Education. “I feel privileged to come here to RCC and Harvard and be a participant of this group.” When asked why such a young person was included, the response was “We trust in Regina Martínez’s work; it is important to have a good balance of ages; and she helps create the magic.”

One member described the group process: “It is very exciting and challenging to work as a team and to be in a context with different, yet connected, subjects. We are used to being in an academic setting with people focused on similar topics.”

The group arrived from Spain in early July. Unlike previous Advanced Research Groups, they came having already written long, detailed, research papers. Their concept is to spend their time learning from each other rather than working independently on their own documents. Strict deadlines were set months ago by the director Juan Francisco Fuentes and monitored by coordinator Eva Botella Ordinas. So, right away, group members dived into exchanges and debates which help improve their own thinking. Juan Francisco Fuentes emphasized, in their very first meeting together, the importance of establishing a balance between contributing and learning from others. He urged that they ask themselves: “What are the things that I’ve received from others and how have I changed my mind.”

Already, this process has produced positive results. “Fortunately, the magic factor exists. It is a feeling, a spirit, a spark that can be felt in our meetings and discussions. Of course, the victory of the Spanish football team in the World Cup helped provide this positive energy!”

How does this process actually work? “Each person gives a seminar. The kick-off was decisive as almost half of us presented in the first week. We are really satisfied with the high level of the papers and the discussions. After each seminar, the chair (in this case, Juan Francisco Fuentes) summarized key new, fruitful ideas that emerged from the presentation and discussion.”

The focal point of the group is to explore issues like modernity, territory, freedom, liberty, progress, independence, war, empires, and nations from the two-way exchanges from Europe to the Americas and from the Americas to Europe. These concepts are different depending on geography, culture, history. Juan Francisco Fuentes used the analogy of a suitcase: “A political/social concept is like a suitcase: you can change its contents and still it is the same suitcase. One of our key ideas is to look at the

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nature of these changes between both sides of the Atlantic. How do these concepts show up differently in different places?”

For example, the concept of “liberal” has very different meanings in Europe as compared to the U.S. “In Europe, a ‘liberal’ has a conservative meaning; whereas, in the U.S. ‘liberal’ can be a progressive.”

“We are interested in how new thinking uses past references. For example, how does Barack Obama use the Constitution as a basis for his Administration’s ideas and positions?”

Interview with Alumna Leonor Rams Ramos

Leonor Rams Ramos returned to RCC in early July after a five year gap. She spent the fall of 2005 (September through December) as a PhD candidate researching in her field of Administrative Law. She experienced one of the great pleasures of returning to a place which “feels familiar” and one “that I love”.

So much has happened in the five year period. When she first came to RCC, she was able to focus full-time on her research for her PhD thesis. Before then, she had to fit the research into a busy teaching schedule as an Assistant Professor at the University Rey Juan Carlos. “My time at RCC/Harvard was a take-off moment for me in my professional career because I was able to do research full-time, use Harvard’s great libraries, attend some classes at Harvard, and interact with Spaniards from many different fields of interest at RCC.”

Leonor Rams Ramos commented that she was particularly happy to spend time with other researchers while she was on the lonely and long pathway of a PhD candidate. “We supported each other. We learned from each other and were able to relax together after many hours doing research. We took coffee breaks and went out to Harvard Square for beers.”

Now, she is married professor “contratado doctor” at Rey Juan Carlos. “My time at RCC, affiliated with Harvard University, was very valuable and helpful in my career advancement. People know about and admire the Real Colegio Complutense and Harvard University.”

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“I was really looking forward to returning here, especially during the summer time. Five years ago, I was here during the fall and winter and it was very cold! I prefer hot weather.”

 The Asociación de Colegiales del Real Colegio Complutens e en Harvard.

President: Mercedes López SalváVicepresident: Alberto González PascualSecretary: Pablo González SaqueroTreasurer: Patricia Lamo de EspinosaAdvisors: Julia Mendoza, Inés Pérez Soba, Esteban Moro, and Rafael Gómez FerrerCoordinator of cultural activities: Carolina Rodríguez López

News

Ana Sabela Alvarez is currently working as a Marie Curie Experienced Researcher for the European Commission based at the Neurological Insitute Carlo Besta on Milan, Italy

Antonia Rísquez (2009) recently successfully defended her PhD thesis (cum laude).

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