María Morrás

Ms. María Morrás is an Honorary Research Fellow and Senior Lecturer at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona), specializing in medieval and early modern Iberian literature. She holds dual doctorates from the University of California at Berkeley (PhD) and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Doctorado en Literaturas Hispánicas). Her work bridges traditional philology with critical theory and digital humanities, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to cultural transitions between the Middle Ages and modernity.

Education:

• BA in Philology, Universidad Complutense de Madrid
• PhD in Spanish Literature, UC Berkeley (1980s)
• Second Doctorate in Hispanic Literatures, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Research Focus:

Morrás’ research explores 1) 15th-century humanism and Renaissance classical revival, 2) court poetry (cancioneros), 3) Golden Age theater, and 4) female authority dynamics in medieval-to-early modern Iberia. Current projects examine the sacralization of Queen Isabel I’s reign through political theology, contrasting it with Elizabeth I’s model. She critiques how classical and religious paradigms shaped gendered power structures in pre-modern Spain.

Grants & Leadership:

• Led three Spanish Ministerio de Educación-funded projects: Discourses on Death, Courtly Literary Culture in Spain and Italy, and Emergence of Female Authority at Court and Covent
• Co-edited major volumes on Alfonso de Cartagena, Lope de Vega’s comedias, and digital humanities in Hispanic studies

Labs/Teams:

Prominent collaborator in international philological networks, including projects at UC Berkeley, Università di Pavia, and Cambridge University. Active in editorial boards for journals like Ínsula and Medievalia.