Lucy Amelia Jane Bell

Lucy Amelia Jane Bell is a Research Fellow at Sapienza University of Rome's Department of European, American and Intercultural Studies. Previously, she served as a Senior Lecturer in Hispanic Languages and Cultures at the University of Surrey (2013–2022). Her work bridges literary analysis, social theory, and activist practices.

• University of Cambridge BA (2008), MPhil (2009), PhD (2013)

Her research focuses on Latin American literature and culture as instruments for social transformation. Key areas include cartonera publishing, prison reform, waste studies, and decolonial theory. She collaborates across disciplines with social anthropologists in marginalized communities.

Recent publications explore intersections of necropolitics, environmental justice, and gender resistance, with a focus on Mexico and Brazil. Her 2022 book Taking Form, Making Worlds won the LASA Book Prize and pioneered trans-formal methodologies combining literary analysis with action research.

• Grants: AHRC, Global Challenges Research Fund, BBC Arts, Secretaría de la Cultura (Mexico)
• Projects: 'Cartonera Publishing' (2017–2020), 'Prisoner Publishing' (2020–2022)