Noel Blanco Mourelle

Noel Blanco Mourelle is an Assistant Professor of Medieval Iberian Studies at the University of Chicago, affiliated with the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures. His research focuses on medieval Iberian languages and cultures, emphasizing religious conversion, political theology, and the history of the book within Mediterranean contexts. He bridges historical scholarship with contemporary social questions through material intellectual history.

Education:

• Bachelor of Arts, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 2007
• Master of Arts, École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS), 2008
• Doctor of Philosophy, Columbia University, 2017

Research Interests: His book project, Learning Machines, examines Ramon Llull’s Art—a combinatory logic system for religious conversion—as shaped by medieval book technology. The study explores how textual artifacts influenced imperial expansion and Christian universalism. His work theorizes the interplay between material culture and intellectual frameworks, particularly in pre-modern Mediterranean networks.

Publications: Recent articles address topics like Guy Debord’s translation of Jorge Manrique, medieval pedagogical tools, and gendered spiritual practices. His scholarship spans literary criticism, cultural theory, and material analysis.

Teaching: Courses include Introducción a las literaturas hispánicas, Witchcraft and the Cultural Imagination, and Learned Women: Spaces of Knowledge, reflecting his commitment to interdisciplinary approaches in pre-modern studies.