Abigail Fagan

Dr. Abigail Fagan is a researcher in American Studies at the Faculty of Humanities, Leibniz University Hannover, with a career spanning since 2019. Her scholarly work bridges decolonial feminist theory, Black studies, and critical Indigenous studies, interrogating the university’s colonial legacy in U.S. society through her book project. She also explores campus novels, protest literature, and 19th-century reform movements.

Her research, grounded in critical university studies, examines how institutions of higher education perpetuated settler colonialism, drawing from historical charters, Indigenous critiques, and campus narratives. Her award-winning dissertation on temperance literature (University of Connecticut, 2019) revealed intersections of race, gender, and power in 19th-century anti-alcohol discourse.

Recent publications like Asking for Consent (2023) and Jubal Early in Space (2022) reflect her focus on media deconstruction, neocolonial symbolism, and democratic intellectual exchange. Professional accolades include the Milton Stern Award and DAAD funding for conference travel. She co-founded the Decolonial Feminisms Reading Group and serves on the board of the Böckwitz-Zicherie Border Museum.

• Key affiliations: German Society for American Studies, European Association for American Studies Women’s Network, National Women’s Studies Association