معرفی
Professor Andy Stafford is a leading academic in the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies at the University of Leeds, where he holds the position of Professor of French and Critical Theory. His work bridges literary scholarship, political theory, and visual culture, with a particular focus on Roland Barthes and photo-textual practices.
His research expertise includes critical theory, African and Caribbean literature, the essay form, and intermediality. He has made significant contributions to Barthes scholarship, including authoring Roland Barthes Writing the Political: History, Dialectics, Self (2023) and preparing a new monograph, Photo-texts From Below (2025), examining collectivist visual narratives in contemporary French margins.
His recent publications reveal a strong thematic focus on politically engaged visual and literary forms, from prison photobooks and wartime resistance photography to postcolonial memory and migrant representation. These works span disciplines including French studies, visual culture, political philosophy, and world literature.
Scientific Awards and Honors:
- Habilitation à diriger des recherches (HDR), Université de Grenoble, 2011
- Professeur invité, Université de Paris-XIII (2019–2020)
- Editorial Board Member, Barthes Studies and Revue Roland Barthes
- Member, ‘Equipe Barthes’, Institut des textes et manuscrits (CNRS), Paris
- Editorial Board, Edinburgh Critical Studies in World Literature and Intermediality
Professor Stafford is actively involved in research leadership, currently directing the British Academy–supported project Global Barthes in World Literature and co-organizing a 2026 conference on Aziz Chouaki. He supervises postgraduate research, including PhD candidate Isla Paterson, and welcomes new PhD applicants. He is also engaged in interdisciplinary research groups such as Digital Cultures, French Literary Studies, and the Centre for World Literatures.
