Lola Santamaria

Lecturer in Hispanic Studies | Resident Director of Davidson in Madrid ‘23

Education

  • Ph.D. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (expected)
  • M.A. University of South Carolina
  • B.A. Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Background

My academic areas of expertise and passions are the Spanish Golden Age Theatre (currently researching "La Poética de la Libertad en los Entremeses de Cervantes"), as well as the Post-Franco "Transicion y Movida" period in film and literature. 

As a native of Madrid and a daughter of the "Movida" generation of the 1980s, teaching and living at Davidson represents an exciting opportunity to share my culture with the Davidson learning community. I actively participate with the Organization of Latin American Students (OLAS) and the "Camino Community Center", a non-profit organization that serves the Hispanic community in Charlotte.

Additionally, I am currently researching and analyzing the narratives of Puerto Rican writer Ana Lydia Vega; more specifically, trans-culturalism and national identity. I am also designing a course for Spanish Heritage Speakers.

Prior to moving to Davidson, I taught at the University Antonio de Nebrija in Madrid and directed the Madrid Study Abroad Program for Kalamazoo College. Earlier in my career, I taught at John Hopkins and Wake Forest University. Besides Madrid, I have also lived in Barcelona, Milan, and San José, Costa Rica.