Mattelart, Michèle

Michèle Mattelart (France, 1941) is a key figure in communication research and she is considered to be the precursor of gender studies in Ibero-America.

Her work has been deeply influential in Latin America’s communication research, where the field cannot be understood without her crucial contributions. She is an author, together with Armand Mattelart, of some of the referent books in Spanish-speaking communication theory, such as Pensar sobre los medios (1988), Historia de las teorías de la comunicación (1997), o Medios de comunicación en tiempos de crisis (1981). She is also an essential researcher when referring to the study of media gender representation. She has been especially interested on studying popular culture aimed to femenine audiences as well as the role of women in public spaces. One of her main publications regarding gender and media studies is the book Mujer y medios de comunicación (1982).

Michèle Mattelart has been recognized as a key researcher in the discipline. She has received honorary doctorates from both University of Valladolid (Spain) and University of Málaga (Spain). She has been a professor at the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) in France and a coordinator of the Cultural Development program at UNESCO. Her name is essential when talking about communication research in Spanish-speaking contexts during the last 50 years.

Interview with Michèle Mattelart

Selected publications:

• Mattelart, A. & Mattelart, M. (1981). Los medios de comunicación en tiempos de crisis. Siglo XXI.
• Mattelart, M. & Mattelart, A. (1988). El carnaval de las imágenes. La ficción brasileña. Akal.
• Mattelart, A. & Mattelart, M. (1988). Pensar sobre los medios: comunicación y crítica social. LOM.
• Mattelart, A. & Mattelart, M. (1997). Historia de las teorías de la comunicación. Paidós.
• Mattelart, M. (2011). Comunicación y movimiento popular. Un momento emblemático. Chile 1970-1973. Chasqui, 116, 75-80.