Sarah Gendron

Sarah Gendron serves as Chair and Professor of French Languages, Literatures and Cultures at Marquette University, where she directs departmental operations and teaches courses spanning French language, literature, film, and critical theory. Her academic home resides within the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, which falls under Marquette's College of Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Gendron's research trajectory evolved from early work on Samuel Beckett and post-structuralist theory to contemporary investigations of cultural expressions during conflicts. Her scholarship examines conflicts related to World Wars, the Holocaust, Russian revolution, Maoist China, Cambodian genocide, Northern Ireland Troubles, Balkan Wars, Rwandan genocide, American ideological battles, and caste-related violence in India. She particularly focuses on cultural expression during conflicts (propaganda studies in education, art, and popular culture) and gender-based violence within international humanitarian frameworks.

Her most recent book, The Co-opting of Education by Extremist Factions: Professing Hate (2020), analyzes how extremist groups manipulate educational systems for political gain. Currently, she's researching Sub Silentio: Gender-based Violence During Conflict, funded by a Fulbright Global Scholars Research Fellowship and Way Klingler Research Fellowship. Her publications demonstrate consistent engagement with trauma representation across multiple genocides and conflicts, revealing patterns in how societies process collective trauma through cultural production.

Among her numerous accolades, Dr. Gendron received a Fulbright Global Scholars Research Fellowship (2020-2021) and Way-Klingler Research Fellowship (2020-2023), both worth $60,000. She's been nominated multiple times for teaching and advising awards, including five nominations for Excellence in Advising/Mentoring. Her research has also secured substantial funding including Mellon Grants totaling over $87,000 and multiple FACE Grants from the French Embassy.

Dr. Gendron actively mentors students through various courses she's developed on Holocaust studies, Rwandan genocide, Cambodian genocide, aesthetics and trauma, and French feminist theory. Her collaborative approach to research is evident in shared grants with colleagues and interdisciplinary projects that bridge literature, history, political science, and gender studies. She has created innovative courses examining North African Studies on Gender and Sexuality and the Immigrant Experience in Film.