Natasha Sumner

Natasha Sumner is an Associate Professor of Celtic Languages & Literatures at Harvard University since 2015. She holds a PhD in Celtic Languages & Literatures from Harvard. Her research focuses on Gaelic folklore surrounding the Fionn Mac Cumhaill corpus, Fenian narrative transmission, and intertextuality in 18th-century Scottish Gaelic literature. She also explores Gaelic diaspora heritage in North America.

Education:

• PhD in Celtic Languages & Literatures, Harvard University

Research Interests:

• Historical development of Fenian narratives
• Conditions for oral tradition transmission
• Scottish and Irish Gaelic diaspora studies
• Early medieval Irish poetry (c. 600–1200)
• Digitization of Gaelic cultural heritage

Advising and Grants: No explicitly listed advisees or grant information. Teaching includes courses on Gaelic languages, post-medieval literature, and folklore studies.

Labs/Teams: Affiliated with Harvard's Celtic Studies programs and digital humanities initiatives.