معرفی
Nicolas Estournel is a Lecturer at Princeton University. He holds a Ph.D. in French Literature, Thought, and Culture from New York University and an M.A. in Comparative Literature from University College London. His research focuses on intersections between language, fashion, and visual culture, particularly through the lens of Roland Barthes' works. He explores how surface aesthetics—such as clothing, skin, and cinematic screens—shape subjectivity and meaning in literature and film.
His doctoral dissertation, Scratching the Surface: The Concepts of Surface and Plasticity in the Works of Roland Barthes, Alain Robbe-Grillet, Marguerite Duras, and Alain Resnais, analyzes mid-20th-century French writers and filmmakers who engaged with surface as a medium connecting individuals to the world. Recent work includes studies on philosopher Catherine Malabou’s theories of plasticity and analyses of surface politics in African cinema.
Publications span French Studies, film theory, and postcolonial literature, with a focus on interdisciplinary approaches linking text and textile, language and visual culture. His research on SAPE (Society of Ambianceurs and Persons of Elegance) highlights fashion’s role in self-creation and cultural identity.
