Isabelle Boisclair

Isabelle Boisclair serves as Full Professor in the Department of Arts, Languages and Literatures at Université de Sherbrooke, specializing in feminist and queer literary theory with emphasis on Quebec and Francophone cultural productions. Her work fundamentally examines how gender, sexuality, and power dynamics manifest in literary texts and cultural objects.

Education:

• B.A. from Université de Sherbrooke
• M.A. from Université de Sherbrooke
• Ph.D. from Université de Sherbrooke
• Postdoctoral studies at UQAM

Professor Boisclair's research interrogates representations of sex/gender/sexuality through feminist and queer theoretical frameworks, with particular focus on women's writing, dramatic literature, and socio-semiotic analysis. She investigates how literary forms construct identity, challenge heteronormative scripts, and negotiate spatial power dynamics in contemporary Francophone contexts, consistently bridging literary criticism with sociological and cultural analysis.

Her recent publications demonstrate sustained engagement with Quebec authors like Nelly Arcan and Sophie Fontanel, revealing evolving feminist discourses through themes of agency, spatial appropriation, and embodied resistance. The work consistently centers female subjectivity while deconstructing patriarchal narratives across genres from song to autofiction, with growing attention to intersectional power relations in literary space.

Research Leadership:

• Principal investigator for SSHRC-funded "Le(s) lieu(x) du pouvoir" (2016-2020) analyzing intersectional gender/sex/desire subjectivities
• Co-researcher in FRQSC's "Équipe de recherche en études queer au Québec" (2019-2023)
• Co-researcher for SSHRC's "Observatoire des scripts sexuels féminins" (2019-2024)
• Principal investigator for "Frères et sœurs dans la littérature contemporaine" (SSHRC 2010-2013)

Boisclair directs the Équipe de recherche en études queer au Québec (ÉRÉQQ), fostering interdisciplinary scholarship on queer theory in Quebec cultural contexts. Her public intellectual contributions through Liberté and Françoise Stéréo extend feminist critique into contemporary social discourse on gender equality and literary representation.