Isabelle Hesse

Dr Isabelle Hesse is a Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of English and Writing at the University of Sydney's School of Arts and Social Sciences. She holds a PhD from the University of York (UK) and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Her research focuses on Palestine/Israel studies, Holocaust studies, postcolonial literature, and speculative fiction in settler-colonial contexts. She currently coordinates the School Honours program and serves as a member of the Sydney Environment Institute.

Education:

• BA (Hons)
• MA (Canterbury, UK)
• PhD (York, UK)

Research Interests:

• Intersection of Postcolonial, Jewish, and Middle Eastern Studies
• Settler-Colonialism and Climate Change
• Cultural Memory of the Holocaust in UK/German contexts
• Speculative Fiction as Critical Tool

Publications Trends: Her work examines literary representations of geopolitical conflicts (Israel/Palestine, South Africa, Australia), with recent emphasis on speculative fiction's role in critiquing colonialism. Key themes include cultural resistance, identity politics, and historical amnesia.

Awards:

• 2025 Senior HEA Fellowship
• 2018 Teaching Excellence Award
• 2022–2023 Visiting Fellowships

Advising & Grants: Supervises research on postcolonial identity (Harper Boon, Jerry Li, Charlotte Okkes). Received funding for 'Teaching Literature and Writing in the Digital Age' (2016 grant).

Labs/Initiatives: Contributes to the Sydney Environment Institute and editorial roles for Studies in Comics and Postcolonial Text.