Camila Reed-Guevara is a rising senior double majoring in Classics and Philosophy. She was awarded a Summer 2018 Conference Grant which she used to attend the Congresso Internacional de Literatura y Estudios Hispánicos.
“Philosophy neither rejects nor chooses anyone: it shines for all.” Seneca the Younger
I presented my paper titled, “Three Stoic Exemplars: Julia Álvarez’s Mirabal Sisters and Their Place in the Ethical World” at the twenty-second Congresso Internacional de Literatura y Estudios Hispánicosin Granada, Spain this June. This conference is directed by Enrique Herrera, a professor at Lock Haven University, it is bi-annually held in locations in the Hispanic world (Spain, Central, Latin America, and the Caribbean.) I presented on a panel on the subject of female literary figures in Hispanic literature. Two professors from Spanish universities were on the panel with me and I presented second.
The topic of my paper was how stoic philosophy can be applied to modern Hispanic characters. In particular, I use the writings of the ancient Roman philosopher Senecato highlight the ethical choices and characters of the Mirabal sisters as they are portrayed in Julia Álvarez’s breakthrough novel In the Time of the Butterflies.The purpose of this was to demonstrate the universality of ethics. In particular, my research sought to ensure that women of color were given the credit that was due in terms of their roles in various historical movements and moments. This paper was a piece of a larger project that I am working on within the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship program, which attempts to tie ancient philosophy to modern literature and to illuminate modern problems.
A large part of why I applied to this conference is because I wanted feedback from those outside of my field (which is classics.) Because I am working with ancient philosophy, which can use dense language, and I am also translating text, I am concerned about the accessibility of my research. Can people and academics with no background in classical philosophy understand my work? Will it be able to make the impact that I hope it does? I was able to learn a lot from the feedback and questions that I got from the audience after reading my paper. This feedback allows me to now make edits, corrections, and future directions for my research.
I also had a really great surprise after presenting my paper. One of the professors in the audience came up to me and introduced herself. While listening to my biography, she heard that I was a Mellon Fellow. She was also a fellow at Emory as an undergraduate and is now the coordinator of the MMUF program at the University where she teaches. She worked under Dr. Carrion, one of the current coordinators at Emory, and she asked me about her. It was such an amazing experience to meet a woman who began her academic path in a similar way. This kind of experience, in my opinion, can really only happen at conferences like this.
Ultimately, what I thought was the most special part about this conference was the fact that I got to present my research in such a unique location. The city in Spain where I presented, Granada, is full of so much history. It is close to the ancient birth place of my research subject, Seneca, and thousands of years’ worth of history was built upon that are. I was able to go to museums and archaeological siteswhich better informed my knowledge of the areas that I study. This, in conjunction with the conversations that I got to have with both local and academics allowed me to be totally immersed in my research. I believe that this sort of immersion is the best way to become connected with what you research.
Visit the Undergraduate Research Programs website to learn more about applying for Conference Grants.
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