Patricia Keller

Patricia Keller is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Comparative Literature and Romance Studies at Cornell University's College of Arts and Sciences, specializing in Spanish literature and visual culture with emphasis on photography, film, and critical theory.

Her research explores intersections of literature, photography, poetics, and political philosophy within modern and contemporary Spanish contexts, focusing on spectrality, ideological constructions of loss, and visual representations of trauma. Current work examines photography's relationship to belief structures through her project "Photography's Wound: Exposing Belief in Times of Uncertainty," building on her monograph "Ghostly Landscapes: Film, Photography, and the Aesthetics of Haunting in Contemporary Spanish Culture" which analyzes fascist and post-fascist Spanish visual media.

Recent publications (2016-2023) demonstrate consistent engagement with visual culture across Spanish and Iberian contexts, revealing thematic preoccupations with solitude, archival rupture, death rituals, and political dimensions of image-making. Her interdisciplinary methodology bridges literary studies, media theory, and cultural history while maintaining focus on Galician cinema and experimental film traditions.

Professor Keller teaches diverse courses including "Spanish Photography," "Modern Spanish Literature," and "Cinematic Cities" while participating in the Cornell Prison Education Program. She mentors graduate students in Comparative Literature and Romance Studies, directing research on Spanish visual culture and critical theory.