Madrid, Spain — October 10, 2025 — The Complutense University of Madrid proudly announces that Virginia Fernández Collado has successfully defended her doctoral thesis titled “Vida y obra de María Enciso. Una vida truncada” (“Life and Work of María Enciso: A Truncated Life”), earning the highest academic distinction: Sobresaliente Cum Laude.
The thesis, directed by Dr. María del Carmen Mejía Ruiz, was presented within the Doctoral Program in Feminist and Gender Studies at the Faculty of Political Sciences and Sociology. This research represents a significant scholarly contribution to the recovery of forgotten women’s voices in Spanish literary and intellectual history.
In her groundbreaking study, Dr. Fernández Collado explores the life and literary legacy of María Enciso, an Almerían poet, journalist, and intellectual whose promising career was tragically cut short. Through meticulous archival research, critical analysis, and feminist historiography, the dissertation reconstructs the narrative of a woman whose voice resonates with both historical significance and contemporary relevance.
The defense took place at the Complutense University of Madrid before a distinguished academic tribunal, which unanimously commended the thesis for its originality, rigor, and emotional depth. The committee praised Dr. Fernández Collado’s ability to intertwine biographical detail with sociopolitical context, presenting María Enciso not only as an individual creator but also as a symbol of silenced generations of women in 20th-century Spain.
This recognition, marked by the Cum Laude distinction, places Dr. Fernández Collado among the foremost new scholars in feminist literary studies. Her work aligns with the university’s ongoing commitment to gender equality, historical justice, and the promotion of women’s cultural heritage.
Speaking after her successful defense, Dr. Fernández Collado expressed her gratitude to her advisor, faculty, and family, emphasizing that “this thesis is not only an academic journey, but also a moral and emotional duty — to restore a voice that history almost erased.”
Her mentor, Dr. Carmen Mejía Ruiz, highlighted the importance of this study as “a milestone in feminist scholarship and a model for future research in gendered cultural memory.”
The people of Almería, María Enciso’s homeland, have also joined in congratulating Dr. Fernández Collado for her remarkable effort to revive the memory of one of their own literary figures.
About the Research
The thesis “Life and Work of María Enciso: A Truncated Life” examines Enciso’s writings, her role in early 20th-century Spanish journalism, and her engagement with themes of identity, motherhood, and intellectual freedom. It also situates her within the broader framework of women writers silenced by historical and sociopolitical conditions, offering a vital feminist reinterpretation of Spain’s cultural canon.
The Silk Road Today: Congratulations, Dr. Virginia Fernández Collado!
Your achievement honors not only the Complutense University of Madrid, but also the enduring legacy of María Enciso and the women whose stories are being reclaimed through scholarship.
