Emil Volek

Emil Volek is a Professor of Spanish at Arizona State University (ASU), specializing in Slavic literary and cultural theory, semiotics, and aesthetics. He holds a PhD from Charles University in Prague (1970) and has conducted postgraduate studies in Aesthetics there. His academic career includes editorial roles at journals such as Svet literatury and Universum. Volek’s research spans Latin American modernity, postmodernism, and the works of figures like Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. He has authored over a dozen books, including Znak, funkce a hodnota (2004) and La mujer que quiso ser amada por Dios (2016). His awards include the 1999 Commemorative Medal from the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture and recognition in the 'Notable 100 Czech émigré scientists' encyclopedia (2011). Teaching focuses on colonial and postcolonial Latin American literature, with courses like SPA 427 and SPA 428. His recent work explores the intersections of semiotics, performance theory, and cultural memory, exemplified in articles like Jan Mukařovský ressuscitado (2021) and Franz Kafka (2023).

Education:

• B.A./M.A.: Charles University (Prague), minors in English, Portuguese, Catalan (1967)
• PhD: Charles University (1970), specializing in Romance literatures
• Postgraduate studies in Aesthetics (Charles University, 1970–1972)
• NEH Fellowship at UC Irvine’s School of Criticism and Theory (1978)

Research Focus: Volek’s work interrogates the dialectics between structuralism and poststructuralism, with emphasis on Latin American literature’s engagement with modernization and postmodernity. Key themes include the aesthetics of Sor Juana, the legacy of the Prague School of semiotics, and the cultural politics of narrative forms. His analyses often bridge Czech literary theory and Spanish/Hispanic American texts, as seen in his studies of Alejo Carpentier and Guillermo Cabrera Infante.

Service & Awards:

• Editorial board member for 15+ international journals, including Universum and Connotas
• Outstanding Mentor Award (ASU, 1993)
• Contributions to Czech diaspora scholarship and cultural preservation