King's College London

Based in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, the national library set up the Chair position in order to research, preserv and disseminate the work and legacy of Dominican thinker Pedro Henríquez Ureña, after whom the library is named. The position of Chair is awarded to academics, artists and writers who explore Henríquez Ureña’s work in the Caribbean, Latin America, and world literatures and cultures.

Dr Andújar’s research focuses on the reception of Ancient Greek drama in postcolonial and global worlds, with emphasis on Greek drama’s modern reception in Latin America and the Caribbean. She traces the ways ancient thought shaped Henríquez Ureña’s ideas for the future of the region and shows how classical concepts still hold relevance today.

As Chair, Dr Andújar delivered three magisterial lectures at prominent locations in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, including an opening keynote address at the main auditorium of the National Library. She also met with members of the Dominican government and press to discuss the relevance of her research to history, life and culture in the country.

A vision for Latin America

In her keynote address on 4 August, Dr Andújar presented ‘The Hellenic vision of Pedro Henríquez Ureña’ (‘La visión helénica de Pedro Henríquez Ureña’), analysing Henríquez Ureña’s commitment to a ‘Greek spirit’ for Latin America.

She examined how Henríquez Ureña became interested in ancient Greek thought during a stay in Mexico in at the beginning of the 20th century, which shaped his ideology and unique vision of progress for the cultural future of the region.

These concepts occupied a central place in many of his intellectual works, evidenced through his public speeches in Mexico and Argentina, where Henríquez Ureña emphasised the importance of adopting Greek ideas.

Press coverage of the keynote lecture featured in Hoy and El Nuevo Diario, two national newspapers in the Dominican Republic, offering more people the opportunity to engage with Dr Andújar's research.

Ancient ideas for modern audiences

Dr Andújar’s delivered further lectures at two major universities to faculty and students. On 5 August at the Pedro Henríquez Ureña National University (Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña or UNPHU), she examined ‘Pedro Henríquez Ureña and the spirit of Greece: Platonic models and visions for the progress of Hispanic America’ (‘Pedro Henríquez Ureña y el espíritu de Grecia: modelos y visiones platónicas para el progreso de Hispanoamérica’).

The following day, Dr Andújar presented ‘Dominican theatre and the Spirit of Greece’ (‘El teatro dominicano y el espíritu de Grecia’) at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, UASD). This is the oldest university in the Americas and the western hemisphere, founded in 1538.

Dr Andújar was also interviewed by the popular Dominican podcast ‘Un giro diferente’ (‘A different turn’) in an episode titled ‘El mundo griego y su legado en la humanidad’ (‘The Greek world and its legacy in humanity’), which is available on Spotify and YouTube (below).

The position of Chair is sponsored by the Banco Popular Dominicano (Popular Bank), the National Cooperative of Multiple Services for Educators (Cooperativa Nacional De Servicios Múltiples de los Maestros), and the Dominican Studies Institute in the City University of New York (CUNY).