Porscha Fermanis

Porscha Fermanis is Professor of Romantic Literature at University College Dublin, where she is based in the School of English, Drama and Film. She is a leading scholar in global Romanticism, settler colonialism, and southern literary theory, directing major research initiatives such as the ERC-funded SouthHem project. Her work spans transnational literary networks, colonial book history, and the politics of historical representation.

Her educational background includes a PhD from Oxford University, supported by multiple prestigious scholarships including the Oxford University English Faculty Graduate Studentship and the Australian University Postgraduate Scholarship. Her academic journey began with a BA-BL from Oxford and includes postdoctoral fellowships and teaching roles at Oxford and the University of Western Australia.

Fermanis’s research centers on Romantic-era literature and its global manifestations, particularly in the southern hemisphere. She investigates how literary modernity emerged in settler colonies, the role of reading and public libraries in colonial citizenship, and the interplay between Romantic aesthetics and imperial ideologies. Her scholarship critically engages with settler nationalism, Indigenous epistemologies, and the geopolitics of literary taste.

Her recent publications reveal a consistent focus on hemispheric and transnational frameworks, with recurring themes including colonial knowledge formation, humanitarianism, and the literary construction of national identity. She frequently publishes on figures such as Samuel Butler, Robert Southey, and Keats, while also advancing methodological innovations through southern and oceanic theory.

• IRCHSS Research Fellow
• IRCHSS Postdoctoral Fellow
• Keats-Shelley Memorial Association Essay Prize
• Oxford G. A. Paul Memorial Scholarship
• Australian University Postgraduate Scholarship
• Katherine Moss Prize

Fermanis has supervised PhD candidates and is committed to graduate education, having served as Director of Graduate Studies and led curriculum redesigns, including the MA programmes and the 'Literary Research Skills' module. She has coordinated key modules such as 'Romanticism' and 'Dark Romanticism' and champions inclusive, skills-focused pedagogy. She leads the SouthHem research project, which fosters international collaboration and maintains an active blog and website. Her grants include major ERC funding and Irish Research Council awards, supporting work on settler subjecthood, literary modernity, and historical representation.