Erin Johanson

Erin Johanson is a Research Student and Doctoral Tutor at the University of Sussex's School of Media, Arts and Humanities, holding a part-time academic position while simultaneously serving as Library User Experience Supervisor and Pagan Chaplain. Her interdisciplinary work bridges historical scholarship with contemporary mental health discourse through primary source analysis of institutional records.

Her educational journey includes an MSc in Genealogical, Palaeographic and Heraldic Studies from the University of Strathclyde (2015-2018) and a BSc (Hons) from The Open University, completed while raising a child and mastering French in France. Fluent in both English and French, she brings cross-cultural perspective to her academic work.

Research centers on British history with specialized focus on medical history and life-course analysis, particularly through her doctoral project examining patient experiences at the Sussex County Asylum (1859-1909). This work transforms anonymized institutional records into recovered personal narratives, intersecting with her professional genealogy background through Census Sensibility.

Her two recent BAVS Newsletter publications analyze Victorian-era medical practices and gendered suicide patterns, demonstrating consistent scholarly engagement with 19th-century British social medicine through critical book reviews that contextualize historical psychiatric approaches within broader societal frameworks.

Teaching responsibilities include courses on historical methodology ("Making History"), mental health sociology ("Mental Health and Madness"), and death studies ("Exploring Death and Dying"), reflecting her commitment to translating historical insights into contemporary educational contexts while maintaining active university community involvement.