Manuel Lucena
I was born in Madrid but have lived all over the world—Spain, Colombia, Panama, the UK and the US—and have traveled to many different countries. My parents were journalists and anthropologists, and that, along with my international upbringing, has had an impact on my fascination with the humanities. I studied the history of the Americas at Oxford University and after that, I moved to Venezuela to work in anthropology research. While I’ve moved around a lot, I would consider my time in Venezuela as a key element in my approach to global humanities. In my free time, I like to read and travel—I’m a very curious person.
"The humanities are about liberty—it’s an important part of the human experience."
Using the humanities to understand the world around us
Teaching the humanities wasn’t something that Manuel always dreamed of—the career path chose him, more than anything. He describes it as a natural result of his experiences living in various countries around the world, and his mother being a bit of a nomad. Growing up, Manuel and his family would often move around, and this led to him not always knowing where he was or where he belonged. As the years went on, he became fascinated by anthropology and its “human factor”.
And this human factor is exactly what fascinated Manuel. He considers liberty to be a key part of the human experience in the world in which we live, and describes how we are all survivors of multiple crises and traumas, enriched by kindness and the resilience of our ancestors. The humanities fascinate Manuel thanks to their complexity—at first it isn’t always clear what they are about, but delving more deeply can bring greater clarity. He also believes that a lot can be revealed through the power of conversation.
To Manuel, the Bachelor in Humanities is important in today’s world as the humanities are the only tool we have to turn globalization into a positive force to drive civilization rather than disaster. With the humanities, Manuel believes we have the power to prevent violence and wars that are rooted in old principles and identities.
As with any program at IE University, the Bachelor in Humanities is career-focused and helps train students for the careers they aspire to. Manuel plays a key role in this as a professor of the Bachelor in Humanities, and he helps guide students in the right direction to fulfill their aspirations and make a positive impact in the world. To Manuel, the program helps students forge a range of careers including in the areas of diplomacy, heritage, preservation of monuments, museums, global change and education. With such a varied scope, the humanities will certainly play an important role in our increasingly globalized world.
