CubaMinrex. Sitio del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba

Cuban Intellectual Receives Award from the Principality of Asturias

CUBA, February 16th, 2011.-  Cuban Dr. Vilda Rodriguez Mendez became the third person of the Americas to receive the International Research Award of the Foro Jovellanos Foundation of the Principality of Asturias, Spain.

 Vilda, a tenure professor of the History Department at the School of Humanistic and Social Sciences of the University of Camagüey ‘Ignacio Agramonte’, won the award with the paper she presented for her PhD in 2006 on Humanism and Illustration in the Origins of Cuban Thought.

The research work emerged during a trip to the University of Valencia in the 1990s to conclude a study on social work. There, she became familiar with Juan Luis Vives, a renowned humanist of the 15th century, and Gregorio Mayans, a representative of the early Illustration and with a significant influence in Cuba.

The Cuban academic told the Adelante newspaper that Cuba has always been under the influence of the most advanced European schools of thought, particularly the Spanish, of which Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos is one of the most important figures.

His work has been thoroughly studied in Cuba and Vilda’s research aimed at proving that he was not the only thinker with influence on the Caribbean nation.

Vilda’s study enriches the vision of the Hispanic roots of the Cuban thought to understand the philosophical evolution of the 19th century in the country.

Since this award was created in 1998, it had only been given to two other academics from the Western Hemisphere, both Cubans as well. (Cubaminrex-Cuban News Agency)

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