Background

Raúl is an experienced educator with a multidisciplinary background that brings together an array of theoretical perspectives stemming from the social sciences, arts and humanities. This rich and diverse background underpins his approach to teaching and research, particularly in relation to critical pedagogies and global learning. His professional career includes roles in academia and the NGO sector in the UK as well as the public sector in his native Peru. He has been a Trustee of International House London, one of the largest language teaching and teacher training organisations in the world.

Raúl completed his PhD in Latin American Studies in the Department of Languages and Cultures at Birkbeck, University of London. His research examined the role of photography in the formation of subjectivities and social relations among socially and ethnically marginalised people. Prior to his doctoral studies, Raúl worked in the field of global citizenship education for several years. He was in charge of a transnational project funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) focused on incorporating global issues into the MFL curriculum.

In 2019, Raúl was selected to take part in a visual and curatorial studies programme at Nottingham Contemporary, one of the leading art galleries in the UK. This experience allowed him to explore different forms of knowledge production through curatorial practices and arts-based research, which is reflected in a recent online exhibition he curated in collaboration with the Centre for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) at Newcastle University.

Aside from his work at Newcastle University, Raúl teaches Spanish language and culture at the Nottingham Institute of Languages and Intercultural Communication (NILIC). He is also a member of the Executive Committee of Latin American House, a not-for-profit organisation that supports low-income Latin American migrants in London. Raúl is a regular speaker in academic and non-academic events internationally. He loves teaching and enjoys working with students from different backgrounds, nationalities and disciplines.

Future Research

Raúl is interested in the notion of epistemic injustice which refers to ‘those forms of unfair treatment that relate to issues of knowledge, understanding, and participation in communicative practices’ (The Routledge Handbook of Epistemic Injustice). He is also keen to expand his investigation into ‘subjugated visualities’ in Latin America, including the counter-hegemonic practices and discourses they create, and their role in processes of cultural resistance.

Qualifications

PhD Iberian and Latin American Studies, Birkbeck, University of London

MA Global Citizenship, Human Rights and Identities, University of Nottingham

MSc Health Promotion and Health Education, University of Edinburgh

BA Psychology, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú

Research

Raúl is a Research Associate on the Global Citizenship and Multilingual Competences (GCMC) toolkit project (2020-2023) funded by Erasmus and involving partners in Austria, The Netherlands, Italy, Germany and the UK. The aim of the project is to provide online resources on global learning and plurilingual pedagogies to secondary school teachers across all subject areas.

Please visit the project website for further information: https://gcmc.global/

You can also follow the project on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GCMC.global

Teaching

Raúl has taught Language and Cross-Cultural Communication and Working in Intercultural Settings modules to undergraduate students from Newcastle University Business School. He has also supervised Masters dissertations on the MA Cross-Cultural Communication programme in the School of Education. In addition, he has delivered seminar sessions on the Introduction to Latin America module in the School of Modern Languages.