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Farid Laroussi is a Professor of French and Francophone Studies and Associate Graduate Advisor in the Department of French, Hispanic & Italian Studies within the Faculty of Arts at the University of British Columbia. Having joined UBC in 2010 after a decade of teaching at Yale University, he holds dual doctorates: a Ph.D. in French literature from the University of Virginia and a Doctorate in American literature from the University of Toulouse. Professor Laroussi's research spans Francophone/Maghreb Studies , 20th and 21st centuries French Studies , and Postcolonial Studies . His scholarly work initially focused on the Maghreb world with particular attention to text, memory and history, examining how francophone studies address challenges of cultural representation, especially around identity and identification. His interests intersect with postcolonial writings and their reinvention of transnational perspectives, as well as contemporary French literature and the evolution of literary ideas and generic constructs in the post-WWII novel. His current project, Aesthetic Alchemy of Twenty-First Century Arab Visual Arts , is a book manuscript currently under consideration. His extensive publication record includes more than thirty articles and three monographs, with his most recent book Francophone Literature After the Postcolonial Age (2024) representing the culmination of his scholarly trajectory. His work demonstrates a consistent focus on postcolonial theory, cultural representation, and literary analysis across French and Maghreb contexts, with particular attention to identity formation in contemporary literature and society. His research bridges literary criticism with sociopolitical analysis, examining how literature engages with postcolonial realities in France and North Africa. As Associate Graduate Advisor, Professor Laroussi supervises students in the French Master's and Ph.D. programs, guiding research in francophone literature, postcolonial studies, and contemporary French cultural analysis. His academic leadership extends to guest editing special journal issues, such as the 2022 volume of Studies in Twenty and Twenty-First Literature on "Narratives of Migration in Europe."

• Francophone Studies
• Maghreb Studies
• Postcolonial Studies
• +4 more

Dr. Thomas Smits is a faculty member at the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Amsterdam , specializing in Digital Humanities , Visual Culture , and Computational History . His research bridges artificial intelligence with historical image analysis, focusing on media history, colonial visual representations, and algorithmic approaches to archival studies. Recent publications highlight his work on multimodal datasets, generative AI in protest memory reconstruction, and the ethical implications of machine learning for historical research. Smits employs computational methods like CLIP and computer vision to analyze large-scale visual collections, including magic lantern slides, historical advertisements, and news images. Key research areas: Digital Humanities, Visual Memory, Algorithmic Analysis, Colonial Media, Gender Studies, Historical Epistemology. Methodological focus: Stochastic modeling, multimodal machine learning, distant reading of visual datasets, and AI-driven archival enhancement.

• Digital Humanities
• Visual Culture
• Computational History
• +5 more

Prof. Dr. Susan Thieme is a full Professor of Geography and Critical Sustainability Studies at the Faculty of Science, University of Bern , serving as Executive Director of the Institute of Geography since 2023. She founded the mLAB and co-directs the Global Science Film Festival , blending academia with artistic and digital practices. PhD in Human Geography (2005), Habilitation (2012), both at University of Zurich 2017–present: Full Professor at University of Bern 2015–2017: Professor at Freie Universität Berlin Her research spans critical sustainability studies , im/mobility , and transdisciplinary knowledge co-production , emphasizing social justice and emancipatory frameworks . Current projects like EcoArtLab integrate climate science with artistic methods. Her publications reveal a focus on migration infrastructures , healthcare labor , and transdisciplinary education . She supervises PhD candidates in themes of art-climate collaborations , healthcare cooperatives , and education for sustainability . Scientific outreach includes hosting the FameLab science communication competition and co-creating MOOCs on transdisciplinarity. She advises organizations like HELVETAS and Swiss Development Cooperation .

• Sustainability Studies
• Migration and Im/mobility
• Social Justice and Emancipation
• +3 more

Nicolas Pitsos is a Lecturer qualified in Greek studies (section 15) and modern and contemporary history (section 22) at the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines. He is associated with the Institute of Cultural and International Studies (IECI) and the Center for the Cultural History of Contemporary Societies (CHCSC). Additionally, he serves as Collections Manager for the Greek domain at BULAC (University Library of Languages and Cultures) since 2020 and has been an Associate Researcher at CHCSC since 2019. His educational background includes: Doctorate in History, Societies and Literature, INALCO, Paris DEA/Master2 in Social and Cultural History 19th-20th Century, University of Paris 1-Panthéon-Sorbonne DEA/Master2 in Historical, Political and Cultural Geography, University of Paris IV Master's in History, University of Paris 1-Panthéon-Sorbonne Bachelor's in History, University of Paris 1-Panthéon-Sorbonne Bachelor's in Modern Greek, INALCO Nicolas Pitsos specializes in the sociocultural history of modern Greece and the Balkans, with particular expertise in the history of Greek-speaking press and publishing, as well as allophone press in France. His research explores representational, historiographical, media, and memorial issues surrounding the Eastern Question from the 19th to 20th centuries. He also investigates the sociocultural history of medicine and public health during this period, examining topics such as neurasthenia and the medicalization of boredom in Belle Epoque France. His interdisciplinary approach combines historical analysis with cultural studies to understand the complex dynamics of national identity formation and cross-cultural encounters in Southeastern Europe. His scholarly output demonstrates a consistent focus on Balkan history, particularly examining press coverage, political discourse, and cultural representation related to the Eastern Question. Pitsos' work reveals patterns in how French and Greek media portrayed Balkan conflicts, especially during critical periods like the Balkan Wars and World War I. His research shows particular attention to linguistic dimensions of national identity, interfaith relations in Ottoman and post-Ottoman contexts, and the representation of Balkan societies in European travel literature and press. A recurring theme is the examination of how historical narratives are constructed through various media channels and how these narratives influence diplomatic relations and public perception. Nicolas Pitsos has supervised master's students in Balkan studies at the Catholic Institute of Higher Studies (ICES) in La Roche-sur-Yon since 2008. His professional experience includes significant roles in library and research management, particularly with the Greek domain at BULAC, indicating institutional support for his scholarly work. As an Associate Researcher at the Center for the Cultural History of Contemporary Societies (CHCSC) and the Europe-Eurasia Research Center (CREE) at INALCO, Pitsos collaborates with interdisciplinary teams focused on historical and cultural research. His position at BULAC places him within a network of scholars and librarians specializing in languages and cultures, particularly those of Eurasia and the Balkans. These institutional affiliations provide him with access to specialized collections and collaborative opportunities that support his research on Greek and Balkan history.

• History of the Greek-speaking press and publishing
• History of allophone press and publishing in France
• History of representational and historiographical issues
• +6 more

Raymond San Diego is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Asian American Studies at Northwestern University. His research and teaching focus on transnational queer and feminist approaches to Asian/American performance practices, biopolitical frameworks in disability studies, and the spatial dynamics of erotic visual cultures. Transnational queer and feminist Asian/American performance practice Biopolitics and disability studies Spatial politics of erotic visual cultures

• Queer Studies
• Feminist Studies
• Performance Studies
• +5 more

Fiona Bell, a literary translator and scholar from St. Petersburg, Florida, specializes in 19th-century Russian literature and gender studies. With formal education from Princeton, Oxford, and Middlebury, she integrates physical theater practices into her scholarship and teaching. Her work explores intersections of translation theory, cultural criticism, and creative reinterpretation. Education: M.A. in Russian, Middlebury Language Schools (2022) MSt in Modern Languages, Oxford University (2019) B.A. in Slavic Languages and Literatures, Princeton University (2018) Her research interests span Russian imperial histories of racialization, gender dynamics in literary translation, and physical theater pedagogy. Articles demonstrate her focus on radical translation practices, gendered narratives in Russian texts, and cross-cultural reinterpretations of canonical works. Her translations of Nataliya Meshchaninova and Avdotya Panaeva have garnered significant recognition. Scientific Awards: North American Dostoevsky Society Graduate Essay Competition Winner (2022) ASEEES Internship Program Grant (2022) PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grant (2020) English Teaching Assistantship Award, Russian Federation (2019-20) ALTA Emerging Translator Mentorship (2018-2019) As a reviews editor at Full Stop , she contributes to literary discourse through critical analysis of grief literature, postcolonial narratives, and contemporary translations. Her creative work merges Russian literary themes with humor, including satirical pieces on skincare and gendered absurdities in The Belladonna Comedy .

• 19th-century Russian literature
• Russian drama
• Gender and sexuality studies
• +4 more

Jinyi Chu serves as Assistant Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures at Yale University, specializing in transnational cultural exchanges between Russia and China during the 19th-20th centuries. His scholarly work bridges literary studies, geopolitics, and translation theory within global modernist frameworks. Education: Ph.D. Slavic Languages and Literatures, Stanford University (2019) M.A. Russian Literature, Shanghai International Studies University (2012) B.A. Russian and English, Shanghai International Studies University (2010) Visiting Researcher, Institute of Russian Literature (Pushkinskii Dom), Russian Academy of Sciences (2015-2016) Chu's research centers on two interconnected axes: Russian modernism of the fin-de-siècle period and Russo-Chinese cultural relations. He investigates how Russian writers engaged with China to reimagine universalism, and how 'reform' was aestheticized in Soviet and Chinese cultural productions of the 1980s. His work spans socialist cultures, memory studies, science fiction, and the history of science, emphasizing translation as a catalyst for global consciousness. His publication portfolio reveals consistent transnational methodology, analyzing cultural circulation across borders through studies of Chinese science fiction in Russia, Daoist philosophy in Tolstoy's work, and avant-garde movements. Recent articles demonstrate growing emphasis on geopolitical dimensions of literature, particularly regarding socialist-era cultural networks and post-apocalyptic narratives in contemporary reception.

• Russo-Chinese relations
• Russian literature
• Chinese literature
• +7 more

Jennifer Roberts is the Drew Gilpin Faust Professor of the Humanities at Harvard University, specializing in American and contemporary art. She serves as Director of Undergraduate Studies and has held the Slade Professorship at Cambridge University (2019) and delivered the 2021 Mellon Lectures at the National Gallery of Art. Her research bridges the arts, natural sciences, and material culture studies. Her scholarly work investigates the material intelligence of art and its creators, with a focus on the challenges of transmitting meaning across time and space. Current projects include a book co-authored with artist Dario Robleto (forthcoming 2026) analyzing the Voyager Golden Record's life-signature engravings, supported by the Sloan Foundation. She has also pioneered interdisciplinary courses integrating printmaking theory with studio practice alongside Matt Saunders. Roberts' research has shaped key themes in art history, including the intersections of printmaking, telegraphy, and visual communication. Her work explores how physical operations like reversal and transfer in printing influence artistic logic, as seen in her curated exhibition Jasper Johns/In Press and her forthcoming Contact book. She actively produces photography for scholarly contexts, including Harvard's astronomical glass plate collection. Her publications demonstrate a consistent focus on materiality, from 18th-19th century American visual communication in Transporting Visions (2014) to early conceptualizations of time in Robert Smithson's work ( Mirror-Travels , 2004). The Minding Making Project at Harvard further underscores her commitment to artisanal knowledge as academic research methodology.

• Art and Science Intersections
• History and Theory of Craft
• Materiality in Art
• +6 more

Laurence F Grove is Professor of French and Text/Image Studies at the University of Glasgow, where he serves as Director of the Stirling Maxwell Centre for the Study of Text/Image Cultures. He holds significant leadership roles as President of the International Bande Dessinée Society and Vice-Président of Les Amis de Tristan L'Hermite. Grove also serves as general editor of Glasgow Emblem Studies and co-editor of European Comic Art, establishing himself as a leading figure in interdisciplinary text/image scholarship. Professor Grove's research focuses on word/image interaction spanning from early printing to contemporary visual culture. His work bridges historical and modern approaches, specializing in emblem books from the pre-industrial period and bande dessinée (comics) in the present day. His scholarship explores how visual and textual elements interact across different historical periods and cultural contexts, with particular interest in the evolution of visual storytelling forms. Grove has made significant contributions to understanding comics as a legitimate art form and cultural phenomenon, challenging traditional literary hierarchies. His extensive publication record reveals consistent engagement with transnational comics studies, emblem research, and text/image theory. Grove's work demonstrates a clear trajectory from historical emblem studies to contemporary comics analysis, highlighting the continuity of visual-verbal communication across centuries. His research often examines national identity through visual culture, with particular attention to French and Scottish comics traditions. GUSRC Student Teaching Award nomination for Most Organised Course GUSRC Student Teaching Award nomination for Most Innovative Teaching University of Glasgow's Most Innovative Teaching recognition Professor Grove actively supervises PhD and MPhil students from around the world (including USA, France, Scotland, Brazil and England) working on various aspects of comics studies and text/image culture. His supervision covers diverse topics from emblem vogue and stereotypes to superhero narratives and video game studies. Grove has organized ten international conferences and co-curated major exhibitions including 'Breaking the Renaissance Code,' 'Comic Invention,' and 'Frank Quitely: The Art of Comics,' demonstrating his commitment to bridging academic research with public engagement. As Director of the Stirling Maxwell Centre, Grove oversees one of the world's premier collections for text/image culture research, leveraging the extensive holdings of Glasgow University Library and the Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery. His current projects include developing the Comic Invention exhibition for worldwide venues, working toward establishing a National Comics Centre for Scotland, and creating 'The Collapse of the Canon,' a multimedia project examining the evolution of cultural canons since the advent of personal computing.

• Word/Image Interaction
• Emblem Studies
• Bande Dessinée
• +5 more

Iftikhar Dadi is the John H. Burris Professor in the Department of History of Art at Cornell University's College of Arts & Sciences. He also serves on the editorial and advisory boards of ARTMargins, South Asian Studies, Archives of Asian Art, and Bio-Scope: South Asian Screen Studies. Dadi has held significant leadership roles including Chair of Cornell's Department of Art (2010-14), Director of Cornell's South Asia Program (2015-16 and 2018-2023), and Chair of the Department of History of Art (2020-23). He is a board member of Cornell's Institute for Comparative Modernities (ICM) and serves as an advisor to the Hong Kong-based research organization Asia Art Archive. Dadi received his PhD in the history of art at Cornell University, with studies in the Departments and programs of History of Art and Visual Studies and the Institute for Comparative Modernities. His academic journey has been deeply rooted at Cornell, where he has risen to become a distinguished professor with an endowed chair. Dadi's research focuses on modern and contemporary art from a global and transnational perspective, with particular emphasis on South and West Asia and their diasporas. His work is informed by postcolonial theory and globalization studies, examining how emergent publics forge new avenues for civic participation through film, media, and popular cultures of South Asia. He investigates questions of memory and borders in contemporary globalization, and the productive capacities of urban informalities across the Global South, often drawing on archaeology, cinema, and art historical references. His scholarship has pioneered new methodologies for understanding art in postcolonial contexts, challenging Eurocentric narratives while developing nuanced frameworks for global art history. His recent publications reveal consistent engagement with South Asian visual culture, particularly examining cinema, urban aesthetics, and transnational artistic practices. Dadi's work consistently bridges academic scholarship with curatorial practice, demonstrating how theoretical frameworks can be applied to real-world artistic production and exhibition contexts. His research shows a progression from examining historical modernisms to contemporary urban aesthetics, reflecting evolving scholarly interests while maintaining core methodological commitments to decolonial approaches and global perspectives. Book Prize from the American Institute of Pakistan Studies (2010) Grants from the Andy Warhol Foundation Grants from the Getty Foundation Grants from the Mellon Foundation Grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities Dadi has received significant research funding that has enabled major scholarly projects, exhibitions, and conferences. He co-organized 'The Next Monsoon: Climate Change and Contemporary Cultural Production in South Asia,' a three-day event at Cornell University in October 2023. His curatorial work includes major exhibitions like 'Pop South Asia: Artistic Explorations in the Popular' (Sharjah Art Foundation 2022 and Kiran Nadar Museum of Art 2023) and 'Lines of Control' on partitions and borders. As an artist, Dadi works collaboratively with Elizabeth Dadi, with exhibitions at prestigious venues including Sharjah Biennial 15 (2023), Kunstmuseum Thun, Switzerland (2022), and Kettle's Yard, Cambridge University (2019-20).

• Modern and contemporary art
• South Asian art history
• Postcolonial theory
• +7 more

Karen Jaime is an Associate Professor at Cornell University within the College of Arts and Sciences, jointly appointed in Performing and Media Arts and Latina/o Studies. An interdisciplinary scholar, her work bridges performance studies, queer studies, and Latinx studies to analyze racialized sexualities and aesthetics in Loisaida (Lower East Side) communities. Education: Ph.D., Performance Studies, New York University M.A., Performance Studies, New York University B.A., History and Spanish Literature, Cornell University Karen's research interrogates queer nightlife cultures, minoritarian aesthetics, and spoken word poetry as political acts. She explores how marginalized communities use performance to challenge norms and preserve cultural memory, particularly in Latinx and Afro-Caribbean contexts. Her award-winning monograph The Queer Nuyorican reclaims the Nuyorican Poets Cafe as a historically queer space. Other publications in journals like TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly and anthologies such as Flicker and Spark further expand these themes. Scientific Awards: 2023-2024 Schomburg Center Fellowship 2023 Cornell Faculty Champion Award 2022 Victor Villaseñor Best Latino Focused Nonfiction Book Award 2019-2020 Career Enhancement Fellowships Karen also curates courses like Nightlife and Performance Studies: Theories and Methods , emphasizing intersectional pedagogy. As a spoken word artist and co-editor of Memorias de Miguel , she actively bridges academia and community engagement.

• Performance studies
• Queer studies
• Queer of color critique
• +8 more

Dr. Penny Bailey is a Teaching Associate at the School of Languages and Cultures, part of the Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at The University of Queensland. With a PhD thesis examining Joseon Dynasty ceramics, her academic career focuses on Korean and Japanese art history, postcolonial critique, and translation studies. Her research explores the intersection of Korean and Japanese visual culture, particularly through colonial-era aesthetics, ceramic traditions, and the transnational influence of the Mingei movement. She has translated and interpreted seminal texts by Japanese art critic Yanagi Soetsu, while analyzing their reception in Korean and Australian contexts. Recent publications span topics like the Sipjangsaeng iconography of longevity, Margaret Preston's Japanese-inspired modernism, and Korean ceramic aesthetics. She maintains active memberships in the Japan Art History Forum and Japanese Studies Association of Australia.

• Translation and Interpreting
• Korean Art History
• Japanese Ceramics
• +4 more

Michael Anthony Turcios serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Radio/Television/Film at Northwestern University's School of Communication. He maintains faculty affiliations with the Center for Native American and Indigenous Research and the Latina and Latino Studies Program, while actively contributing to the Northwestern Prison Education Program through specialized course instruction. Education: PhD in Cinema and Media Studies, University of Southern California Professor Turcios specializes in nontheatrical film histories, ephemeral media, and relational anticolonial/antiracist movements. His research centers Indigenous media practices, Chicanx/Latinx film cultures, and postcolonial media studies, with emphasis on cultural preservation, land reclamation, and fabulation as restorative methods across Palestine, the Americas, and Indian Ocean contexts. His methodology integrates archival analysis of nontraditional audiovisual texts with examinations of community-based screenings and non-filmic moving image practices. His recent publications reveal consistent thematic trajectories examining state violence at borders, reparative cinematic frameworks, transnational solidarity movements, and critiques of extractive capitalism. These works bridge film history with critical race theory, environmental justice, and decolonial praxis, demonstrating how marginalized communities deploy media for resistance and cultural continuity. As a first-generation scholar from a working-class background, Professor Turcios prioritizes mentorship for historically excluded students. His teaching portfolio includes graduate seminars in Screen Cultures and undergraduate courses on Documentary Film History, Indigenous Studies and the Moving Image, Third World Cinemas, and Race and Space in Film and Media, with significant engagement through the Northwestern Prison Education Program.

• Film History
• Media Studies
• Indigenous Media
• +5 more

Christoph De Spiegeleer serves as an unpaid guest professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Free University of Brussels), affiliated with the History, Archaeology, Arts, Philosophy and Ethics faculty. His academic work centers on the Secular Studies Association Brussels, where he has been active from 2011 to 2024. His research interests primarily focus on secularization processes, particularly examining the historical development of secular thought and practices in Belgium. His work spans several interconnected fields including funeral practices, 19th century Belgian history, freethinkers movements, and the evolution of atheism in European contexts. A significant portion of his research analyzes how secular alternatives to religious funeral practices developed in 19th century Belgium, exploring the cultural, political and social dimensions of this transformation. De Spiegeleer's publications reveal a strong emphasis on the intersection of religion, death culture, and political identity in Belgian history. His recent work has examined topics such as the moral dimensions of disbelief among Brussels freethinkers (1854-1870), secular burial practices, and the historical context of the Peasants' War. His research often employs transnational perspectives, as seen in his work on Charles Potvin and the Risorgimento. Among his notable recognitions are the De Bock-Doehard Prize for best historical dissertation at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (2009-2010) and the Emile Zola dissertation award (third place, 2012). De Spiegeleer has been actively involved in academic collaborations, including the Workshop on Secularism and Biography (March 2024) and the conference 'THE NON-RELIGIOUS AND THE STATE' (October 2022), where he served as an organizer. His ORCID profile (0000-0002-4927-8607) documents his extensive scholarly output across multiple formats including journal articles, book chapters, books, and conference papers.

• Secularization
• Belgian History
• 19th Century European History
• +5 more

Thomas Mosebo Simonsen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication and Psychology at Aalborg University's Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. His academic work centers on digital media, media production, and film studies, with particular expertise in user-generated content, platform aesthetics, and cinema space in digital culture. His research interests span multiple domains including digital media platforms , media aesthetics , film studies , user-generated content , and cultural industries . Simonsen examines how digital platforms shape production forms and user experiences, with special attention to YouTube culture as evidenced by his 2023 book of the same name. His work bridges academic research and industry practice, leveraging his background in production to connect university teaching with business applications. Analysis of Simonsen's recent publications reveals a consistent focus on the intersection of traditional media and digital platforms. His work examines how cinema adapts to digital culture, how sustainability apps are domesticated in everyday life, and how Korean film influences global media landscapes. A recurring theme is the relationship between platform affordances and user creativity, particularly in social media contexts like YouTube where authenticity and direct audience connection drive engagement. As an educator, Simonsen oversees the Media Studies minor program and teaches across multiple degree programs including Communication and Digital Media, and Interactive Digital Media. His teaching spans media production, film analysis, digital platforms, and cultural industries. Administratively, he serves as subject consultant for Media Studies, editor for the Media and Communication Encyclopedia, and subject manager at Denmark's National Excise Department LEX. His research projects include "Analysis of digital phenomena" (2018-2023), "Computational Thinking" (2018), and ongoing work on cinema space in digital content culture. Simonsen actively contributes to public discourse through media appearances, recently discussing YouTube culture, Mister Beast's philanthropic content model, and the Korean Wave's global impact.

• Digital Media
• Media Production
• User-Generated Content
• +7 more