معرفی
Mo Pareles is an Associate Professor in the Department of English Language and Literatures within the Faculty of Arts at the University of British Columbia. Their office is located in Buchanan Tower 411, and they can be reached at Mo.Pareles@ubc.ca or by phone at 604 822 4253.
Dr. Pareles received their PhD from New York University and their BA from Yale University, establishing a strong foundation in medieval studies and literary scholarship.
As a medievalist, Dr. Pareles specializes in Old and Middle English literature with particular focus on translation studies, temporalities, critical animal studies, and Jewish-Christian relations. Their research interrogates how cultural translation of religious texts shaped medieval Christian identity and power structures. They explore how medieval literature constructs temporal frameworks that position certain groups (infants, animals, Jewish communities) as 'others' whose exclusion enables Christian futures. Dr. Pareles' work bridges historical literary analysis with contemporary theoretical frameworks including queer theory and critical race studies, creating innovative approaches to medieval texts that reveal their ongoing relevance to modern discussions of identity, religion, and power.
Dr. Pareles' publications demonstrate consistent engagement with how religious texts were translated and adapted in medieval England, particularly examining Jewish law within Christian contexts. Their work spans book-length scholarship like 'Nothing Pure: Jewish Law, Christian Supersession, and Bible Translation in Old English' (2024) to articles analyzing specific texts such as Beowulf and medieval miracle literature. A recurring theme is how translation functions as cultural adaptation that serves specific religious and political agendas in pre-Conquest England. Their scholarship often focuses on the intersections of animal studies, Jewish-Christian relations, and medieval understandings of time and embodiment.
Dr. Pareles teaches courses in medieval literature and translation studies, including 'Dancing in Chains: Writing and Reading Translation,' a first-year writing course that prepares students for English and humanities majors through intensive reading, writing, and conversation about literary translation. They have also appeared on CBC's IDEAS to discuss Old English, demonstrating their commitment to public scholarship and making medieval studies accessible beyond academic circles.
