RODRIGUEZ BLANCO, SERGIO

SERGIO RODRÍGUEZ-BLANCO
Researcher | Writer | Professor

Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Deparment of Journalism and New Media, Faculty Member (Profesor Ayudante Doctor)

PhD in Art History (UNAM) | MA in Art History (UNAM) | MA in Latin American Studies (Universidad Complutense de Madrid) | MA in LGBTIQ+ Studies (Universidad Complutense de Madrid) | BA in Journalism (Universidad Complutense de Madrid)

Scopus Author ID: 57204002064
ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7554-4756

BIOGRAPHY
Sergio Rodríguez-Blanco is a researcher, writer, and professor specializing in media and journalism, visual and documentary cultures, and narrative studies.

His work explores the tensions between visibility and erasure in visual culture, media, and journalism, analyzing how representation, narratives, and memory are constructed, contested, and reinterpreted. His research examines not only who becomes visible or remains erased, but also under what terms, through which stereotypes, and with what implications for recognition and agency.

He critically analyzes the politics of representation, hegemonic and counter-hegemonic narratives, and how media, visual and documentary cultures negotiate, shape, reinforce, and disrupt identity, agency, and discourse across Ibero-America. Examining culture, gender, ethnicity, migration, age, and social inequality, he explores how these dimensions shape contemporary media narratives.

Beyond studying representation, he interrogates the systems that regulate visibility, public debate, and the circulation of meaning in an evolving media landscape. He considers journalism as both a visual language and a platform for discussion, while also examining visual culture as a narrative device. In this framework, media is not merely a mirror of reality but part of a shifting media environment where memory, visibility, and representation are constantly renegotiated.

ACADEMIC CAREER
Rodríguez-Blanco has held academic positions at:

- Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
- Universidad Nebrija (Madrid, Spain)
- Universidad Iberoamericana (Mexico City)
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)
- Universidad Anáhuac (México)

His research as a María Zambrano Postdoctoral Fellow at UCM (2023-2024) focused on media, gender, and the politics of representation. He has also conducted research residencies and seminars in the United States, Spain, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, and Puerto Rico.

PUBLICATIONS
Rodríguez-Blanco is the author and co-author of several books that investigate representation, discourse, and memory in cultural production:

- Alegorías capilares (Trilce) – Examines how human hair functions as an artistic material to sublimate trauma and memory.
- Palimpsestos mexicanos. Apropiación, montaje y archivo contra la ensoñación (Centro de la Imagen) – Explores the relationship between violence and opulence through representations of the female body in contemporary Mexican photography.
- Ojos herejes (Penguin Random House, Debate, 2019) – Investigates the creative process of artists and questions the ephemeral faith that art demands.
- Inoculaciones. Comunicación crítica y pandemia (co-author) – A critical perspective on media narratives and discourse during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Objetivo 19S. La duda como motor del pensamiento periodístico (co-author) – A study on journalistic inquiry and critical thinking after the 2017 Mexico City earthquake.

In addition to his books, he has published articles in SJR-ranked scientific journals and academic book chapters with Palgrave and Macmillan.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Rodríguez-Blanco is a member of the National System of Researchers in Mexico (SNI-1) and has received awards for his contributions to journalism and cultural analysis, including:

- International Journalism Rey de España Prize (Spain)
- National Bellas Artes Luis Cardoza y Aragón Prize (Mexico)
- National Photography Essay Prize (Mexico)
- Honorable Medal Alfonso Caso (UNAM) for best PhD dissertation

WRITING & JOURNALISM
In addition to his academic work, Rodríguez-Blanco is a non-fiction writer and journalist. He is also a collaborator at Unidad de Investigaciones Periodísticas (UIP) at UNAM and Funndación Casa de México (Madrid).