I hold an MA in Hispanic studies from Tulane University and a doctoral degree from the University of British Columbia. I worked as a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Albany SUNY 2011-2012, before joining the Hispanic Studies department in January 2013.
Internal Memberships
Undergraduate Programme Coordinator Spanish and Latin American Studies
20th-21st century Spanish literature, film and culture. Environmental humanities, ecomedia.
Current Research
My current research project is Frames of Nature: Ecology and Politics in Spanish Visual Media (1928–2024). The project explores how historical and contemporary Spanish media engage with ecological themes, within a political and cultural landscape where the natural environment is often framed as a static backdrop for conflicts over wealth distribution, historical memory, and national identity.
Past Research
This project builds on my earlier work on individualism and intersubjectivity. My 2017 monograph, Crossroads Visions, analysed 21st-century Spanish novels and films that identify individualism as a root cause of social, economic, and psychological crises. Over the past few years, I have expanded this inquiry through articles and video essays on spirituality and ecology, incorporating texts from Europe, North America, and Asia.
Cine, género y ecología: Desafiando el Antropoceno en el Nuevo Cine Español Firmado por Mujeres
Barker, J.
Las habitaciones contiguas: Las mujeres creadoras en la industria audiovisual. Izquierdo Castillo, J., García Catalán, S., Morales Roig, L. (eds.). Tirant lo Blanch
Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters
Out of Frame: Filming the Anthropocene and other “-cenes” in Alcarràs (Carla Simón)and As bestas (Rodrigo Sorogoyen)
Barker, J.
Resistance: Journal of Radical Environmental Humanities, vol. 12, no. 1
Contributions to Journals: Articles
Cracked Landscapes on Beautiful Islands: How Empathy Addresses the Social Fissures in Trapped (Ófærð) and Hierro
Barker, J.
Television and Empathy. Samuel, M., Trimmel, T. (eds.). Palgrave Macmillan
Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters
A Companion to Spanish Environmental Cultural Studies, Luis I. Prádanos (ed.) (2023)
Barker, J.
International Journal of Iberian Studies, vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 180-183
Contributions to Journals: Reviews of Books, Films and Articles
Purser, Ronald E. McMindfulness: How Mindfulness Became the New Capitalist Spirituality. By Ronald E. Purser. New York/London: Repeater Books/Random House, 2019, 304 pages, ISBN 978-1-912248-31-5
Barker, J.
Journal of Global Buddhism, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 251-257
Contributions to Journals: Reviews of Books, Films and Articles
