Iris Bergero: teaching and research in semiotics. Notes on the institutionalization of semiotics in the peripheries of Argentina (Río Gallegos, 1979-2015)

Abstract

or approximately forty years (1979-2015), Professor Iris Bergero served as both a teacher and researcher, contributing significantly to the institutional history of what is now known as the Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Initially active in the field of Literature and later in Social Communication, she focused on the disciplinary domain of Semiotics, where she both taught and conducted research under this designation. Moreover, she expanded her work internationally through a network that connected her with universities in Barcelona and Portugal.

Within this framework, our article revisits her role as an agent to analyze her contributions to research, academic management, and teaching, focusing on selected research projects and various administrative legal sources. These elements enable us to trace her biographical trajectory and illustrate how a discipline consolidates by transitioning from the field of Literature to Social Communication. Studying the career of an agent in a peripheral setting highlights the unique forms of institutionalization that develop in these regions, and underscores the critical role played by provincial intellectuals in shaping the establishment of academic disciplines far from major centers.