Sarah Robertson

Dr. Sarah Robertson is an Associate Professor at the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) in the School of Arts. Her research focuses on American Southern literature, particularly Appalachia, exploring themes of poverty, environment, race, class, and climate change. She actively runs a climate change book club (https://www.thisiswhyweread.com/book-clubs/) and develops CPD programs for Key Stage 3 English teachers to integrate climate discussions into curricula.

Her academic work spans over two decades, with key contributions in Gothic Appalachian literature, eco-critical analyses of Southern texts, and intersections between poverty and environmental narratives. Notable publications include Ruin and Resilience: Southern Literature and the Environment (2025) and Poverty Politics: Poor Whites in Contemporary Southern Writing (2019).

Dr. Robertson has advised doctoral candidates on topics like American literature, environmental humanities, and climate ethics. She collaborates with interdisciplinary teams on climate education initiatives and maintains affiliations with UWE’s environmental humanities network.

Her research methodologies blend close textual analysis with community-engaged scholarship, emphasizing literature’s role in addressing ecological and social crises.