Event date: Friday 9 January 2015,  9.30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Location: Lille 3 University, Maison de la Recherche
Eugenia Houvenaghel – Carole Viñals (Joint Project Ghent – Lille)

The central topic in the project Luz y Sombra/L’ombre et la lumière is the role played by the collective cultural memory of ancient myths in the (re)shaping of national, group or individual identities in Spain and Latin America. We understand myths as the expression of a society’s or a person’s fears and ambitions: it expresses what a society or a person wants to avoid and what it seeks to become. We focus on myths featuring women as strong figures. We examine the rewriting of these myths in Spanish and Latin American contexts of social and political crisis. In terms of methodology we rely on the structure of myth. Our starting point is Lévi-Strauss’ view on myth structure as a combination of juxtaposed binary oppositions. The unification of opposite poles is a particular challenge to the rewriter of women’s myths as it often offers conflicting and even irreconcilable interpretations of one female character, interpretations which are difficult to disentangle, choose between, or unite together. Several female mythological figures can be reshaped, on the basis of the opposed elements included in their original stories, both as representations of lightness and of shadow. In our study of Hispanic rewritings of women’s myth, we analyze the choice between the dark or light side of the reinvigorated female figure.

Axis 2014-2015: Myths of enchantresses, witches and wise women reinterpreted in Hispanic literature: dialectics between light and shadow

The figures around which revolve the meetings 2014-15 are enchantresses, witches and wise women. Hereby, we discuss female figures of mythological traditions related to magic and wisdom such as, in the classical tradition, Medea, Circe, Atenea, Cassandra or Hecate. Studies on rewritings of women’s myths that originate from other ancient traditions, such as the Inca or Aztec mythology, are also accepted. The meetings will be dedicated to the representation of these female figures in Spanish and Latin American literature. We confront the dark side of enchantresses, witches, and wise women with their knowledge, beauty, creativity, and strength.

The second meeting will take place in Lille on January 9, 2015. The meetings are organized with the support of Ghent University and University of Lille 3.

For more information, please contact seminario.luzysombra@gmail.com, carole.vinals@univ-lille3.fr, or eugenia.houvenaghel@ugent.be.