معرفی
Dr. Rachel Ellen Clark is an Associate Professor of English at Wartburg College, where she has taught British literature since 2011 and has directed the Honors Community since 2018. She specializes in early modern English literature with a focus on Shakespeare, disability studies, and the history of the book.
Dr. Clark earned her educational credentials from The Ohio State University: a B.A. (2002), M.A. (2005), and Ph.D. (2011).
Her research examines how historical texts construct social identities, particularly through witchcraft narratives and disability representation. She investigates intersections of race, gender, and power in early modern drama, arguing that these discourses established enduring ableist paradigms. Current work includes a book project analyzing witchcraft's role in shaping concepts of disability in the Atlantic world.
Clark's publications consistently explore marginalized identities in Renaissance texts, with recent articles examining disability representation in Jacobean drama, racial dynamics in witch narratives, and contemporary political reinterpretations of Shakespeare. Her scholarship bridges historical analysis with modern critical frameworks like disability theory and feminist studies.
Awards:
- National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Scholar (2018)
As faculty-in-residence at Clinton Hall, she mentors Honors students and fosters interdisciplinary dialogue. She advises undergraduate research projects and serves as faculty advisor for the Art History minor program.
