معرفی
Dr. Jo Waugh is a Senior Lecturer in Nineteenth-Century Literature at York St John University's School of Humanities, where she has taught since 2010 following the completion of her PhD at the University of York. She holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (2014) and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Her research primarily focuses on Victorian representations of disease, with particular emphasis on contagious diseases in the novels of Charlotte Brontë. She has designed and directs modules on contagion and infection in literature, and on Victorian literature. Her work bridges literary studies with medical humanities, examining how disease narratives shape cultural understanding and social relations in the nineteenth century. Dr. Waugh's scholarship reveals how Brontë's fiction engages with contemporary medical discourses around contagion, tuberculosis, and rabies, challenging simplistic readings of disease in literature.
Dr. Waugh's publications demonstrate consistent engagement with the intersection of literature and medical history. Her 2024 monograph "Charlotte Brontë and Contagion" represents the culmination of years of research, while her numerous articles explore specific disease narratives across Brontë's works and their cultural reception. She also contributes significantly to public scholarship through The Conversation, making complex literary concepts accessible to broader audiences.
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
As an academic leader, Dr. Waugh supervises PhD students and contributes to the MA program at York St John University. She co-founded the York Research Unit for the Study of Satire and hosts a monthly podcast on satire with colleague Dr. Adam J. Smith. Her public engagement includes "Coffee House Talks" at York Explore and contributions to The Conversation on Brontë-related topics. Dr. Waugh also serves as a reviewer for the journal Brontë Studies and has edited a special issue on "The Brontës: Sickness, Contagion, Isolation."
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