Molly Macdonald

Dr. Molly Macdonald is a Senior Lecturer in Literary and Critical Theory at Queen Mary University of London's School of English and Drama. She also serves as Co-Director of Student Support and Engagement for the School of The Arts. Holding a PhD from Queen Mary (2012), she earned her BA in English Literature from Barnard College (Columbia University) and an MA in Modernism from the University of East Anglia.

Education

• Barnard College, Columbia University: BA in English Literature
• University of East Anglia: MA in Modernism (2002)
• Queen Mary University of London: PhD in Hegelian and Psychoanalytic Studies (2004–2012)

Research Interests

Her work bridges psychoanalysis, continental philosophy, and literary theory, with a focus on intersubjectivity, inertia, and 20th/21st-century literature. Notable projects include:
- Conceptual history of 'inertia' across physics, psychology, and society
- Hegelian philosophy reinterpreted through psychoanalytic lenses
- Artistic and philosophical engagements with Marxism

Publications

Her monograph Hegel and Psychoanalysis (2013) redefines Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit via psychoanalytic theory. Recent articles explore inertia’s philosophical trajectories and interdisciplinary epigenetic studies.

Teaching & Leadership

As Co-Director of Student Support, she champions academic engagement. She supervises doctoral students in literary theory, psychoanalysis, and interdisciplinary studies.