Elena Adell, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Spanish

Contact Information

  • eadell@unca.edu
  • 251-6275
  • 229 Whitesides Hall

Office Hours

  • Monday 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
  • Tuesday 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
  • Friday 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
  • Note: Or by appointment.

Elena Adell specializes in Latin American literature and film, with a focus on Cuban intellectual history (19th century to the present) —more specifically on narrative and visual arts. Her research and teaching interests are in the areas of postcolonial and cultural studies, with a focus on the application of Affect Theory in the analysis of literature and the arts.

Her most recent work analyzes literary and artistic manifestations of the relationship between Cuba and Spain during the 20th century.

She was awarded the 2013-2014 award for Teaching Excellence in the Humanities at UNC Asheville.

Education

  • Licenciatura
    Universidad de Valladolid (Spain)
  • M.A., Ph.D., Spanish
    The University of Georgia

Courses Taught

  • Undergraduate Research in Spanish.
  • Senior Seminar.
  • Hispanic Studies / La revolución cubana: interpretación de textos culturales. [taught both online and in a synchronous fashion].
  • Spanish-American Literatures from Modernism through the 21st Century.
  • Hispanic Film.
  • Special Topics in Spanish / Caribbean Literature.
  • Survey of Spanish-American Civilization and Literature.
  • Composition and Introduction to Literature.
  • Intermediate Spanish.
  • Elementary Spanish.
  • Special Topics in Spanish / Spanish for beginners at Avery Mitchell Correctional and Craggy Correctional.
  • Special Topics in Spanish / Spanish for beginners and Hispanic Civilization and Culture at Mountain View Correctional.
  • Undergraduate Research in Honors.
  • Latin American Film.
  • Contemporary Latino Literature and Culture.
  • Humanities 124: Ancient World.

This faculty member teaches in UNC Asheville's Humanities Program.

Professional Interests

  • Cuban narrative & Film
  • Cuba-Spain / Spain-Cuba during the 20th centuy
  • Latin American Film
  • Epics in the Ancient World
  • All levels of Spanish Language Instruction
  • Teaching of Spanish Language and Culture in the Penitentiary Institution Environment

Recent Publications

  • "Trayectoria en Cuba de la intelectual y activista gallega María de Lluria." Espacio Laical. Proyecto del Centro Cultural Padre Félix Varela. Año 14 Nro. 3, 2018. pp. 38-48  [Solicited by Editor, and co-authored with Ricardo Luis Hernández Otero]
  • "Hacia una estética de lo violento en Las bestias de Ronaldo Menéndez y en La sombra del caminante de Ena Lucía Portela." Cuban Intersections of Literary and Urban Spaces. Ed. Carlos Riobó. SUNY Press, 2011. pp. 97-111. [Solicited by Editor]
  • “Representaciones del intelectual en la literatura de los novísimos -escritores cubanos: Ronaldo Menéndez, Ricardo Arrieta y la agrupación El establo”. Chasqui. Revista de literatura latinoamericana. Volumen 39, 1. Mayo, 2010. pp. 45-63. [Blind review - Peer Reviewed]
  • "Pon tu pensamiento en mí y El elefante y la bicicleta: el protagonismo del cine en la filmografía cubana." Torre de papel 12. 1-2 (2002): 63-81. [Blind review - Peer Reviewed]