Tasha Alden

Tasha Alden serves as Senior Lecturer in Contemporary British Fiction within Aberystwyth University's Department of English and Creative Writing, specializing in postmemory studies and 20th/21st century literary analysis.

Her academic credentials include:

• BA (University of Oxford)
• MSt (University of Oxford)
• D.Phil in English Literature (University of Oxford)

Dr. Alden's research centers on British second-generation narratives of the World Wars, examining how authors without direct war experience utilize historical sources to address intergenerational trauma. Her scholarship extends to contemporary historical fiction, women's writing, visual culture, and LGBTQ+ literature, with significant contributions to Sarah Waters and Iris Murdoch studies. She argues that contemporary postmemory fiction represents an evolution beyond Linda Hutcheon's historiographic metafiction framework, challenging historical relativism through ethical engagement with source material.

Analysis of her publication trajectory reveals expanding thematic scope from World War fiction toward contemporary social issues like IVF narratives and Muslim women's writing, while maintaining core focus on memory ethics and historical representation. Her recent work demonstrates interdisciplinary connections between literary studies and reproductive technology discourse.

Dr. Alden has supervised three doctoral candidates including Heather McLean and Nicholas Lee Watson. Her externally funded projects include "The Language of IVF" (ESRC, 2025), a British Academy Visiting Fellowship on Leila Aboulela, and the Royal Society-supported "Rethinking flight, persecution and war" network, reflecting her commitment to bridging literary scholarship with social justice concerns.

She actively shapes academic discourse through initiatives like the 2024-launched "Narratives of Reproduction" network and co-organization of international conferences on postmemory studies, fostering collaborative research environments that connect literary analysis with contemporary societal challenges.