Catherine Keyser

Catherine Keyser is a Professor in the Department of English Language and Literature at the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, University of South Carolina. She holds a PhD in English from Harvard University (2007) and a BA from Princeton University (2001).

• PhD, Harvard University, 2007
• BA, Princeton University, 2001

Her research spans interdisciplinary domains in Modern American Literature, with a focus on American Women Writers, African American Literature, Periodical Studies, Gender Studies, and Food Studies. She explores intersections such as racial and gendered dynamics in food narratives, modernist print culture, and critical race theory in literary contexts.

Keyser's publications and presentations reflect a synthesis of Food Studies and Critical Race Theory. Her work analyzes how food serves as a metaphor for power, identity, and cultural exchange, particularly in modernist texts. She also investigates the role of print media in shaping perceptions of race and gender during the 20th century.

Notable accolades include

• Margaret Church MFS Memorial Prize for Best Essay, 2017
• Morrison Fellowship, University of South Carolina, 2016-2017
• Provost Humanities Grant, 2014
• Peter and Bonnie McCausland Fellow, 2013-
• Institute for African American Research Fellowship, 2011-12
• Michael J. Mungo Undergraduate Teaching Award, 2011

She has secured multiple grants and fellowships to support her research and has delivered keynotes at international symposia, including Leibniz University of Hannover (2022) and Princeton University (2018). Her teaching includes courses on U.S. Women Writers of the 1920s, Food Studies in Modern American Literature, and Modernist Periodical Culture.