Louise Hardwick

Louise Hardwick is a Professor of Francophone Studies and World Literature at the University of Birmingham, where she has held roles including Programme Director of the MA in Contemporary Literature and Critical Theories and School Head of Research. She specializes in Francophone Caribbean literature, postcolonial studies, and translation studies, with a focus on memory, colonialism, and biopolitical frameworks.

Her academic journey includes degrees from Trinity College, Oxford, and postdoctoral research at Homerton College, Cambridge. She has held visiting positions at Emory University, Georgia Tech, and the University of Oxford. Her research is supported by grants from the AHRC and EU, totaling over £500k.

Key research areas span Francophone Caribbean cinema, Negritude theory, and biopolitical ecocriticism. Notable works include Joseph Zobel: Negritude and the Novel (2018) and Creole Cinema: Memory Traces (2025). She founded the FRANCOPOCO Network and collaborates with international institutions, including in the Caribbean and France.

Her awards include Associate Fellowships at Cambridge and AHRC Peer Review College membership. She actively engages with public audiences through media contributions, including radio interviews and exhibitions.