Doctor of Liberal Studies
Sophie Heller

Sophie Heller’s research examines 20th and 21st century filmic representations of national trauma in Spain and Latin America. Her transatlantic study of contemporary debates surrounding historical memory in public and political discourse focuses primarily on identity formation in contemporary Spain, Colombia and Argentina. Dr. Heller’s current research explores the cinematic child protagonist as it reveals the oppression of State-sponsored modes of erasing history; through a transatlantic examination of film from these nations, she looks at the child protagonist as not only a conduit for historical memory but also as a model for the formation of a national identity which chooses to mourn rather than suppress its legacy of trauma. Dr. Heller earned her Ph.D. from Georgetown University in 2021. Her interests include contemporary Spanish film and literature, Spanish horror film, transatlantic literature and critical theory.