Mary Gallagher

Mary Gallagher is Professor of French and Francophone Studies at University College Dublin, affiliated with the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics. She has held significant academic appointments at UCD since 1991, progressing from Lecturer to full Professor, and has served as a Visiting Professor in France, China, and Tunisia. Her scholarly leadership includes founding roles in the Association for the Study of Caribbean and African Literature in French (ASCALF) and the Irish Association of French and Francophone Studies (ADEFFI), where she was president from 2006 to 2008. She led the PRTLI-funded 'World Writing in French' research programme and has coordinated multiple Erasmus+ partnerships with institutions in the French Caribbean, Tunisia, and Vietnam.

Education:

• BA in French and German, Trinity College Dublin
• DEA in French Literature, Université de Paris VII (Denis Diderot)
• Doctorat ès Lettres, Université de Paris VIII (Vincennes-Saint-Denis), supervised by Henri Meschonnic, viva chaired by Édouard Glissant
• Higher Diploma in Mediation and Diploma in Arbitration Law and Procedure, University College Dublin

Her research focuses on postcolonial Francophone literature, Caribbean studies, Creole identity, migration, and ethical dimensions of writing. She has published extensively on Saint-John Perse, Lafcadio Hearn, and Paul Morand, with a recent emphasis on Holocaust testimony through her critical edition of Paul Léon’s letters from Drancy. Her work bridges literary scholarship, cultural critique, and historical recovery, often engaging with themes of displacement, memory, and transcultural dialogue.

The 15 most recent publications illustrate a sustained engagement with global Francophone narratives, from Caribbean poetics and Creole hybridity to Shoah testimony and critiques of academic corporatism. Her scholarship reveals a trajectory from regional Caribbean studies to broader global and ethical concerns, emphasizing literary witness, intercultural translation, and the responsibilities of the intellectual in an age of globalization.

Scientific Recognition and Editorial Roles:

• Editor of 22 issues of the biennial journal of ASCALF
• Editorial Board member, Journal of French and Francophone Philosophy (US)
• Editorial Board member, Forum Poetiki (Poland)
• Editorial committee roles for monograph series at Palgrave, Gallimard, Brill, and Peter Lang

As an advisor and grant leader, she has supervised major research programmes and cross-institutional collaborations. She has not advised named students in the provided texts but has mentored through programme leadership and editorial guidance. She convened UCD’s Asia-Pacific Research Forum (2018–2022), now a formal Research Centre. Her work continues to shape interdisciplinary approaches to Francophone and postcolonial studies.

Research Groups and Collaborations:

• Founder, Association of Francophone Postcolonial Studies (formerly ASCALF)
• President, Irish Association of French and Francophone Studies (ADEFFI, 2006–2008)
• Convenor, UCD Cross-College Asia-Pacific Research Forum (2018–2022)
• Initiator of Erasmus+ partnerships with Université des Antilles, Université de Tunis, and Université Nationale du Vietnam
• Developing an all-island Irish research group on Former French Island Colonies