Find Academic Supervisors

Seán McLoughlinView profile

Professor

• Anthropology of Islam
• Sociology of Islam
• Muslim Diasporas
• +10 more

Professor Seán McLoughlin is a full-time faculty member at the University of Leeds, holding the position of Professor of the Anthropology of Islam (Muslim Diasporas) in the School of Philosophy, Religion and the History of Science, Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures. He has been a core academic at Leeds since 2000 and continues active research, teaching, and leadership in the field of Islam and Muslim diasporas in Britain and Europe. Education: PhD in Social Anthropology, University of Manchester MA in Middle Eastern Studies, University of Manchester BA in Theology & Religious Studies (First Class), University of Manchester His research focuses on the anthropology and sociology of Islam, particularly among South Asian heritage Muslim communities in Britain. Key themes include migration, transnationalism, pilgrimage (Hajj), multicultural politics, identity formation, and the role of religion in public life. He has conducted extensive fieldwork with British Pakistani and Kashmiri communities in Northern England, especially in Bradford. His work bridges the social sciences with the arts and humanities, emphasizing narrative, representation, and urban identity. His recent publications explore the Hajj industry in Britain, the transformation of mosque institutions, the writing of British Asian cities (e.g., 'Bradistan'), and state engagement with Muslim organizations. These works reflect a consistent trend in examining how Muslim identities are constructed, negotiated, and represented across local, national, and transnational contexts. His research is deeply interdisciplinary, drawing from anthropology, sociology, religious studies, urban studies, and cultural geography. Scientific and Professional Recognition: Past Co-Convenor and Chair, Muslims in Britain Research Network (2003–2008, 2011–2014) Former Secretary, British Association for Islamic Studies (2017–2020) Member, British Sociological Association (Sociology of Religion Study Group) Member, British Association for the Study of Religions REF2021 Unit of Assessment Leader and Impact Case Study Author He has supervised multiple postgraduate researchers and final-year dissertation students, including placements at Leeds City Museum. He has led externally funded projects from the AHRC, British Academy, and ESRC. His teaching includes modules such as 'Introduction to the Study of Islam', 'Muslims in Britain', and 'Religion, Politics & Society', all of which have received outstanding student feedback and high academic performance. He has also contributed to postgraduate teaching on 'Muslims, Multiculturalism and the State'. He is affiliated with the Centre for Religion and Public Life and has contributed to public policy discussions, including a feasibility study for a Faith Forum in Yorkshire and the Humber. His work continues to influence academic and public discourse on Islam in contemporary Britain.

Sara Sejin ChangView profile

Professor

• Contemporary Art
• Shamanic Film Installations
• Postcolonial Theory
• +7 more

Sara Sejin Chang (also known as Sara van der Heide) is a Korean-Dutch artist born in 1977 in Busan, South Korea, who currently serves as Interim Professor administering the Chair of Spatial Concepts at the University of Braunschweig (HBK) for the 2024-2025 academic year, replacing Candice Breitz. Based in Berlin, Chang creates shamanic film installations that combine film, historical research, rituals, drawings, texts, and sound compositions to challenge Eurocentric thinking, racialization, and persistent colonial narratives. Her work has been exhibited internationally at major venues including Moderna Museet Stockholm, Kunstinstituut Melly Rotterdam, Centraal Museum Utrecht, and ARGOS Brussels, and she has participated in significant biennials such as the Berlin Biennale, Dhaka Art Summit, and Busan Biennale. Chang's research interests focus on the intersection of Korean shamanism and contemporary art practice as a means of healing colonial trauma, particularly examining transnational adoption narratives between Korea and the Netherlands. Her work critically engages with the historical relationship between these two countries, including the participation of 3,418 Dutch soldiers in the Korean War (1950-1953) and the subsequent adoption industry that saw approximately 40,000 people adopted from the Global South to the Netherlands. She interrogates Eurocentric systems of categorization, racialization, and their penetration into all levels of contemporary Western society, proposing what she terms 'meta-cosmic and inclusive approaches to modernity' that transform conventional understandings of value and time. Through her practice, Chang seeks to repair historical ruptures, particularly those affecting diasporic communities, and create spaces for ancestral reconnection. Chang's artistic output demonstrates a consistent trajectory toward using shamanic practices as frameworks for decolonial critique and healing. Her recent major work Dismemberment (2024) employs the Korean Ssitgimgut ritual tradition to symbolically heal 'sick Europe' through a dismemberment and cleansing process, while Four Months, Four Million Light Years (2020) addresses colonial narratives behind transnational adoption through a shamanic healing journey across time and space. These works, along with her long-term project The Mother Mountain Institute , form a cohesive body of work that challenges the normalization of racialization within European society while proposing alternative knowledge systems rooted in Korean shamanic traditions. Scientific Awards: Theodora Niemeijer Prize (2023) - the largest Dutch Art Prize Berlin Artistic Research Grant Fellowship (2022-2023) Jeanne Oostingprize for 'Claim to Universality; Colour Theory Exercise 1-12' Chang's practice extends beyond traditional academic advising, functioning instead through collaborative research frameworks and institutional critique. Her work has been supported by significant grants including the Mondriaan Fund and the Berliner Programm Künstlerische Forschung. She operates through what she terms 'the Mother Mountain Institute,' a conceptual framework that connects her artistic practice with shamanic knowledge systems and decolonial theory. This institute serves as both a research platform and a metaphorical space for healing colonial ruptures, particularly those affecting transnationally adopted individuals. Chang's work consistently challenges the 'whiteness of contemporary art spaces' in European cities, using these spaces themselves as metaphors for the colonial structures they inhabit while simultaneously transforming them into sites of ritual and healing.

Raysa AmadorView profile

Professor

• Hispanic Literature
• Latina Writers and Artists
• Second Language Acquisition
• +12 more

Raysa Amador is a Professor in the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at Adelphi University’s College of Arts and Sciences. She has served as Chair of the department (2006–2021) and Director of the Latin American Studies Program since 1990. Her academic leadership extends to numerous university committees and advisory roles, including the DACA, International & Immigration Task Force and the International Studies Committee. Ph.D., New York University (1978) M.A., New York University (1973) B.A., Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, New York University (1972) Certificate, Data Processing Programmer, New York University (1979) Her research centers on Hispanic literature, Latina writers and artists, second language acquisition, and the intersection of law and literature in colonial chronicles. She explores themes of identity, gender, transculturation, and narrative power, particularly in the works of Frida Kahlo, Cristina Garcia, Julia Alvarez, and other Latina figures. Her pedagogical focus includes intermediate Spanish curriculum development and cultural literacy. The recent scholarly output reflects a strong trend in feminist and transnational studies, analyzing the female body, self-representation, and cultural identity across literature and visual art. Her work bridges interdisciplinary fields such as law, rhetoric, anthropology, and history, particularly in her studies of the Chronicles of the Indies and colonial legitimacy. Adelphi Presidential Award for Diversity and Inclusion (2020) Distinguished Faculty Excellence Award (2005) Septima Clark Distinguished Faculty Award (1999) President’s Faculty Development Award (multiple) Certificate of Award for Advancing Women's History (1999, 2000) Selected speaker, New York Council for the Humanities (multiple years) Amador has advised numerous undergraduate and graduate students in research and theses, particularly in Hispanic literature, identity, and social justice. She has secured multiple grants, including from the U.S. Department of Education and the New York Council for the Humanities, supporting seminars, speaker programs, and cultural festivals. Her leadership in organizing the Spanish Film Series with Pragda highlights her commitment to public humanities and cultural engagement. She has been instrumental in developing academic programs such as the Latin American Studies Concentration and has served on key search and governance committees. Her long-standing advisory role with Latino Students United (formerly La Unión Latina) underscores her dedication to student support and diversity initiatives.

• Translation Theory
• Literary Aesthetics
• Language Policy
• +4 more

Jennifer Gülly is a Teaching Professor of German Studies at William & Mary . Her research intersects language policy , translation theory , and literary aesthetics , with a focus on nation-state dynamics , migration narratives , and cultural memory . She has held academic positions at Pomona College, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of South Florida. Education: Magistra, University of Vienna, Austria Ph.D. in Comparative Literature, UCLA Research Trends: Recent publications examine transnational memory frameworks, refugee representation in literature/film, and the interplay between ecological systems and cultural discourses. Her work frequently employs interdisciplinary methodologies bridging literary analysis, political theory, and translation studies. Scientific Awards: Jefferson Teaching Award (2019), William & Mary Teaching Areas: German language courses (all levels), German literature/film, Vienna 1900-2000, Holocaust in Literature/Film, World Literature, Fairy Tale tradition, and translation history/theory.

Marisa C. SánchezView profile

Assistant Professor

• Modern and Contemporary Art
• Feminist Art Histories
• Art Historical Methodologies
• +7 more

Marisa C. Sánchez is Assistant Professor of Art History at Lycoming College, where she directs the art history program. She holds a PhD from the University of British Columbia and has taught at institutions including the University of British Columbia and Emily Carr University of Art + Design. Prior to her current role, she was Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at the Lunder Institute for American Art, Colby College, where she researched, curated, and taught. B.A., Villanova University M.A., The School of the Art Institute of Chicago Ph.D., University of British Columbia (2019) Her research centers on modern and contemporary art with a strong emphasis on feminist art histories, curatorial practices, and museum culture. She engages deeply with counter-narratives and interdisciplinary methodologies, particularly exploring how artists like Stan Douglas, Paul Chan, and Tania Bruguera respond to literary and philosophical influences such as Samuel Beckett. Her work bridges academic scholarship and curatorial innovation. The recent publications and presentations reflect a sustained engagement with Beckett’s influence in visual art, feminist curatorial strategies, and institutional inclusion. Her scholarly output combines theoretical rigor with practical curation, evident in her exhibition Time and Tide Flow Wide and contributions to projects like second shelf . Her scientific recognition includes the prestigious Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship. She has presented at major conferences including the College Art Association, Modern Language Association, and Samuel Beckett Society. She has advised the collaborative project second shelf , focused on expanding access to publications by historically excluded artists and scholars. Her teaching spans art history, curatorial studies, and interdisciplinary research. She has received no explicit mention of grants in the provided text. Marisa C. Sánchez is actively involved in redefining art historical discourse through feminist, inclusive, and interdisciplinary lenses, both in academia and museum settings.

• Dramaturgy
• Contemporary Irish Theatre
• Theatre Producing
• +5 more

Marie Kelly serves as Programme Director of the MA in Arts Management & Creative Producing and Lecturer in Drama and Theatre Studies at University College Cork's Department of Theatre within the School of Music and Theatre. She previously held the position of Head of Department from July 2015 to July 2016. Her educational background includes a PhD in Drama Studies (2011) and MA in Modern Drama and Performance (2005), both from University College Dublin. Prior to her academic career, she accumulated significant professional experience at the Abbey Theatre from 1993-2006, initially as Executive Assistant to the Artistic Director and subsequently establishing and leading the Casting Department. Dr. Kelly's research integrates scholarly and practice-based approaches, focusing on dramaturgy, contemporary Irish theatre, theatre producing, and casting methodologies. Her work uniquely bridges cognitive science applications with performance studies, particularly examining consciousness frameworks in theatrical production. She has pioneered research connecting European and American theatre experimentation with contemporary Irish dramatic traditions, with special emphasis on Tom Mac Intyre's works. Her publications demonstrate sustained scholarly engagement with Irish playwrights, theatrical consciousness, and casting theory. The research output reveals evolving interests from textual analysis of specific playwrights toward broader investigations of cognitive frameworks in performance and contemporary producing practices. Strategic Research Fund (2014) CACSSS Research Support Fund (2013) Strategic Research Fund (2013) Government of Ireland Research Scholarship (2006) Facing Forward award from Arts Council of Ireland (2005) Dr. Kelly actively mentors postgraduate students while maintaining strong industry connections through her board memberships with Everyman Theatre Cork and previous involvement with Corcadorca Theatre Company. She coordinates Perforum events that connect students with leading practitioners and has organized national showcases at the Abbey Theatre. Her outreach initiatives include community workshops like The Lantern Project and Women of the South: Revolutionaries and Radicals series, demonstrating commitment to public engagement with theatre arts.

Ania LoombaView profile

Professor

• Early Modern Literature
• Histories of Race and Colonialism
• Postcolonial Studies
• +2 more

Ania Loomba is the Catherine Bryson Professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania. She is affiliated with the Department of English, Comparative Literature, South Asian Studies, and Women's Studies. Her scholarship bridges early modern literature with contemporary critical theory, focusing on intersections of gender, race, and colonialism. Early modern literature and culture Postcolonial and feminist theory Contemporary Indian cultural studies Transnational feminist frameworks Colonial and racial histories Her publications include groundbreaking works on Shakespearean studies, feminist theory, and postcolonial discourse. She co-edited the award-winning Rethinking Feminism in Early Modern Studies (2016), which interrogates feminist methodologies through lenses of race, affect, and transnationalism. Society for the Study of Early Modern Women’s Collaborative Book Prize 2017 Editorial roles in Postcolonial Literary Studies series

Gustavo Herrera DiazView profile

Assistant Professor

• Latin American Literature and Culture
• Caribbean Studies
• Latin American Theater and Performance
• +3 more

Gustavo Herrera Diaz is an Assistant Professor of Romance Studies at Brandeis University, specializing in the intersection of classical traditions and Latin American cultural production. His academic journey spans institutions in Cuba and the United States, with current research focusing on transnational circuits of material and symbolic mediations across the Iberian Atlantic. His educational background includes a Ph.D. and M.A. from Pennsylvania State University and a B.A. from Universidad de la Habana. This foundation supports his interdisciplinary approach to classical reception studies in the Latin American context. Herrera Diaz's research interests center on how ancient Greek traditions encounter syncretic religions like Candomblé, Santería, Espiritismo, and Palo Monte in Latin America. He challenges traditional associations between classics and whiteness, exploring the Africanization of mythical figures such as Dionysus, Orpheus, and Medea in Cuban and Brazilian cultures from the 1940s to the present. His work examines media technologies, performance practices, and artifacts involved in these cultural intersections and their implications for identity, race, gender, religion, and human agency. His publications reveal a consistent focus on classical reception in Latin American theater and literature, with particular attention to Cuban cultural production. The research demonstrates how Greek mythology has been transformed within Afro-diasporic religious contexts and how these transformations challenge conventional narratives about cultural heritage and identity formation in the Americas. Brandeis Career Hero 2024 Theodore and Jane Norman Fund for Faculty Scholarship (2023) Herrera Diaz's academic trajectory demonstrates significant engagement with both teaching and research in Romance Studies, with particular emphasis on how classical traditions are reimagined in contemporary Latin American contexts. His work bridges disciplinary boundaries between classical studies, theater studies, religious studies, and postcolonial theory, creating innovative frameworks for understanding cultural exchange across the Atlantic world. His institutional affiliations with Brandeis University and previous connections to Universidad de la Habana highlight his transnational scholarly perspective, which informs both his research methodology and pedagogical approach to teaching Latin American literature and culture.

• English Literature
• Gothic Literature
• Gender Studies
• +5 more

Federica Perazzini serves as a Researcher in the Department of Modern Literature and Culture at Sapienza University of Rome, teaching advanced English literature courses for the Master's Degree in Modern Philology through seminar formats under the PNRR ARmaME project where she acts as Principal Investigator. Her instruction covers Shakespearean tragedies (Hamlet, Macbeth) and modern/postmodern works (Mrs Dalloway, The Hours) with Italian-language delivery while maintaining English textual analysis. Her research traverses English literary history from the eighteenth century to contemporary media, specializing in Gothic literature's evolution across adaptations like Penny Dreadful, gender/queer theory investigations of female agency and deviance, fashion studies examining clothing as identity performance, and trauma theory applications. She integrates digital humanities methodologies with traditional close reading to analyze cultural representation and historical context, particularly evident in her computational studies of eighteenth-century phraseology and vestimentary symbolism. Perazzini's scholarly output demonstrates consistent thematic development across publications, with recent works exploring the intersection of Gothic tropes and science fiction, vestimentary identity construction in Defoe's narratives, and intersectional trauma in Victorian adaptations. Her research reveals a methodological preference for interdisciplinary frameworks that bridge literary analysis with cultural history and digital tools. As Principal Investigator of the PNRR ARmaME project, she directs research dissemination activities while supervising Master's students through course-based instruction. Though formal PhD advisees aren't documented, her teaching includes comprehensive assessment structures with ongoing assignments and written examinations requiring original textual analysis in English.

Marcell SteuernagelView profile

Associate Professor

• Church Music
• Sacred Music
• Theology of Worship
• +5 more

Marcell Steuernagel serves as Associate Professor of Church Music at Southern Methodist University, concurrently directing both the Master of Sacred Music Program and Doctor of Pastoral Music Program. His academic leadership bridges theological education with practical music ministry training. His educational trajectory includes a Ph.D. in Church Music (ABD) from Baylor University (2015-2018), Master of Music in Composition from Brazil's Federal University of Parana (2006-2008), and Bachelor of Music in Conducting and Composition from Parana School of Music and Arts (1998-2003), complemented by specialized Brazilian Guitar & Jazz Improvisation training. Steuernagel's research interrogates the intersections of music, theology, and cultural identity through ethnomusicological and performance studies frameworks. His work centers on decolonizing church music narratives by amplifying Global South perspectives, particularly examining how race, place, and embodiment shape congregational singing practices. He investigates pneumatological dimensions of popular worship music while analyzing cross-cultural transmission of hymns like 'Amazing Grace' across linguistic boundaries. His scholarship consistently challenges Western hegemony in sacred music through critical frameworks of intellectual property, ritual embodiment, and spatial politics. His publication pattern reveals a concentrated focus on Global South epistemologies since 2021, with recurring themes of decolonization, embodied ritual, and cross-cultural musical exchange. The research demonstrates methodological diversity spanning ethnographic observation, theological reflection, performance analysis, and critical theory application to congregational music practices worldwide. Member, Hymn Society (2019) Member, Performance Studies International (2017) Member, Society for Christian Scholarship in Music (2017) Member, Brazilian Studies Association (2017) Member, Society for Ethnomusicology (2017) Student Research Scholarship, Christian Congregational Music Conference (2017) Baylor Libraries Summer Teaching Fellowship (2017) Baylor Conyers Scholar (2016-2017) Gerald and Kathy Dunlap Endowed Internship (2016) Steuernagel maintains an extensive teaching portfolio across North and South America, having instructed at Baylor University, Baptist University of the Americas, and multiple Brazilian institutions including Federal University of Parana and Parana School of Music. His courses span church music history, composition, worship theology, and musical pedagogy. While specific grant details aren't documented in the source material, his Baylor fellowships and conference awards indicate sustained research funding for projects examining global congregational music practices and theological implications of embodied worship.

Bedour AlagraaView profile

Assistant Professor

• Political Theory
• Caribbean Political Thought
• Black Marxism
• +5 more

Bedour Alagraa is Assistant Professor of African and African Diaspora Studies in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Austin. Her scholarship centers on Black radical genealogies, Caribbean political thought, and African anti-colonial frameworks, with foundational contributions to Sylvia Wynter studies and conceptual history of catastrophe. Her academic journey includes a Ph.D. in Africana Studies from Brown University (2019), where she held an Andrew W. Mellon Graduate Fellowship, a Master's in Race, Ethnicity, and Post-Colonial Studies from the London School of Economics, and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Toronto. Dr. Alagraa's research interrogates Political Theory through Black Marxism and Caribbean Thought , focusing on epistemic ruptures in plantation modernity. Her forthcoming monograph The Interminable Catastrophe (Duke University Press) reconfigures catastrophe as a political category, while her editorial work on Sylvia Wynter's Black Metamorphosis establishes new paradigms for Black studies. She co-edits the 'Black Critique' book series at Pluto Press and recently completed archiving Wynter's papers. Analysis of her publications reveals consistent engagement with decolonial philosophy , Caribbean literary aesthetics , and radical political praxis , particularly through Sylvia Wynter's epistemology and Kamau Brathwaite's poetics. Her work bridges political theory, literary criticism, and Caribbean intellectual history. Scientific recognition includes: Andrew W. Mellon Graduate Fellowship Dr. Alagraa actively shapes scholarly discourse through editorial leadership and co-edits I Am a Revolutionary!: Speeches by Chairman Fred Hampton (Pluto Press, 2024). Her teaching portfolio spans Black Political Thought (AFR 351N), Liberation in the African Diaspora (LAS 310), and Political Autobiographies (AFR 370), emphasizing critical engagement with Black radical traditions across 15+ courses since 2020. She leads collaborative intellectual projects including the Sylvia Wynter editorial team and international archiving initiatives, positioning UT Austin as a hub for Caribbean thought and Black radical critique.

• Modern German Literature
• Poetics
• Reception History
• +4 more

Prof. Dr. Rudolf Helmstetter holds the Professorship for Modern German Literature at the University of Erfurt within the Faculty of Arts and Humanities . His scholarly work bridges literary theory , systems theory , and cultural studies , with a focus on modernist poetics , media-specific realism , and the interplay of form and cultural memory . Helmstetter has extensively analyzed authors like Theodor Fontane, Heimito von Doderer, and Niklas Luhmann, exploring themes such as quotations as cultural artifacts , autonomy in literature , and the sociological implications of narrative forms . His research investigates how mediality and cultural epistemologies reconfigure literary expression, particularly through the lens of Luhmann's systems theory and Benjamin's media philosophy . Helmstetter's publications span topics from anthropological transitions in literature to the aesthetics of advice and interpassivity , often interrogating the boundaries between art, society, and media . He has co-edited works on literary realism, interkulturality, and the cultural history of modernity. Helmstetter's pedagogical and administrative roles include leading the German Studies program at the University of Erfurt. His academic output reflects a deep engagement with 20th-century German literature , media theory , and cultural critique , positioning him as a key figure in the intersection of literary studies and social theory .

• Critical Media Studies
• Gender Studies
• Tourism Studies
• +4 more

Dr Karen Wilkes is a Lecturer in Critical Media Studies at University College London’s Institute of Education, based in the Department of Culture, Communication & Media. She convenes and teaches on the Critical Digital Media MA and is located at the UCL Knowledge Lab in Bloomsbury. Her research is fundamentally interdisciplinary, interrogating how gender, class, sexuality and race are constructed and circulated within historical and contemporary visual cultures, with a pronounced focus on tourism, digital media and neoliberal ideologies. Empirically, her work spans Caribbean tourism, post-feminist digital cultures, luxury student housing, and colonial legacies in visual representation. Caribbean tourism and its visual economies Post-feminist subjectivities in social media Neoliberal cultures in urban higher education Whiteness and coloniality in leisure practices Across her seven major publications (2015-2024), Dr Wilkes traces a consistent analytical thread: the entanglement of neoliberal governance with raced, classed and gendered identities in touristic and digital spaces. From the commodification of Caribbean paradise to the aesthetic labour of ‘clean eating’ influencers, her scholarship critiques how privilege is performed, marketed and consumed. Dr Wilkes is available for doctoral supervision in three key areas: tourism in the Caribbean, visual cultures of tourism more broadly, and neoliberal cultures within cities. She also welcomes invitations for conference speaking, peer-review activities, and supervision of taught-course research projects. Contact: k.wilkes@ucl.ac.uk

Angelica DuranView profile

Professor

• Comparative Literature
• Disability Studies
• Religious Studies
• +3 more

Angelica Duran is a Professor of English, Comparative Literature, and Religious Studies at Purdue University, with a courtesy appointment in Critical Disability Studies. She holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University (2000), an M.A. (1988) and B.A. (1987) from the University of California, Berkeley. Her research spans 16th–21st century comparative literature, focusing on English and Spanish traditions, religious studies, disability studies, and translation theory. She has published extensively on Milton, including monographs and edited volumes exploring his global reception, visual adaptations, and pedagogical applications. Her recent publications examine Milton’s transnational influence, the role of prosthetic sign systems in literary interpretation, and intersections of disability, movement, and theological discourse. She bridges early modern and contemporary analyses, addressing issues of translation, cultural adaptation, and digital humanities. Duran has received two Irene Samuel Memorial Awards for her edited volumes Milton in Translation (2017) and Milton Across Borders and Media (2023). She serves on editorial boards and academic committees, including the Renaissance Society of America's Conference Chair (2022–27). As a comparative literature scholar, she connects European, American, and global traditions, emphasizing religious, diasporic, and pedagogical dimensions. Her work explores how texts traverse ideological, physical, and disciplinary boundaries.

Brenda M FarnellView profile

Professor

• Anthropology of Dance
• Human Movement
• Embodiment
• +5 more

Brenda M. Farnell is a Professor in the Department of Anthropology and the American Indian Studies Program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. With a professional background in modern dance and dance education in England, she bridges anthropological theory with embodied practice, critically examining the marginalization of movement in Western academic thought. Her educational background includes: Ph.D. in Social Cultural & Linguistic Anthropology, Indiana University Bloomington (1990) M.A. in Anthropology of Human Movement, New York University (1984) Advanced Diploma in Dance and Human Movement Studies, Laban Dance Center, Goldsmiths College, London University (1977) B.Ed. in Dance Studies & Physical Education, I.M. Marsh College, Liverpool University (1969) Dr. Farnell's research centers on embodiment across three interconnected domains: the anthropology of dance (focusing on choreographic processes and performance arts), linguistic anthropology (analyzing gesture/speech integration and signed languages), and Indigenous epistemologies (particularly Plains Nations storytelling traditions). Her fieldwork with Nakota, Crow, Kiowa, and Comanche communities informs her decolonial approach to embodied knowledge systems. Recent publications demonstrate consistent thematic focus on Indigenous performance practices (e.g., 2023 monograph Chocolate Woman Dreams the Milky Way ) and foundational embodiment concepts (e.g., 2018 encyclopedia entries on Mindful Body and Techniques of the Body ), reflecting sustained engagement with semiotic anthropology and movement literacy.