معرفی
Beatriz Pichel is Associate Professor in Photographic History at De Montfort University, affiliated with the School of Humanities and the Photographic History Research Centre (PHRC). Her research spans photographic history, medical humanities, the history of medicine, emotions, and war, with a focus on 19th and early 20th century France.
- PhD in History and Philosophy of Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (2012)
- MA in Sciences and Culture Studies, UAM (2008)
- BA in Philosophy, UAM (2006)
Her expertise lies at the intersection of visual culture and historical experience, particularly how photography shaped medical knowledge, emotional expression, and war memory. She has pioneered research on medical photography in French hospitals and the emotional dimensions of photographic practices during the First World War. Her book Picturing the Western Front (2021) reframes photography not merely as documentation, but as an active force in shaping war experiences.
The most recent articles show a consistent focus on photography’s role in institutional medicine, psychiatry, and emotional expression across the 19th and 20th centuries. She frequently examines how photographic practices in journals, hospitals, and wartime settings constructed knowledge, identity, and memory. Key themes include the materiality of images, patient agency, and the performative nature of emotions.
Scientific Awards and Grants:
- Wellcome Trust Research Fellowship in Medical Humanities (2014–2016)
- Wellcome Trust Small Grant for 'Emotional Bodies' conference (2014)
- British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grant for 'Photography and the Making of Modern Medicine in France' (2019–2020)
Beatriz Pichel actively supervises doctoral students in photographic history, gender history, war, and medical humanities, and contributes to interdisciplinary research, public engagement, and conference organization. She has secured both internal and external funding and is a reviewer for leading journals such as History of the Human Sciences and Social History of Medicine. Her current work continues to explore the material and cultural dimensions of medical photography, with a forthcoming monograph on the subject.
She is involved in several research teams and initiatives, notably the Photographic History Research Centre, where she contributes to workshops and public-facing projects on visual and medical history. Her work on ethics in historical medical photography has been featured in public blogs and podcasts, including the On War & Society podcast.
