Sebastian Lecourt

Sebastian Lecourt is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English at the University of Houston's College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. His scholarship focuses on Victorian literature, religion and secularism, world literature, and literary theory, examining intersections between British imperial culture and global religious traditions.

• Ph.D. in English from Yale University
• M.Phil. and M.A. from Yale University
• B.A. in English from Macalester College

Lecourt's research investigates how Victorian writers engaged with global religious traditions through literary forms, particularly exploring secularization debates and transnational cultural exchange. His work traces how figures like George Eliot and Walter Pater challenged liberal secular frameworks by reimagining religion as cultural identity.

His recent publications examine Victorian Buddhist adaptations, comparative religious genre construction, and global literary networks. Key journals include PMLA, Representations, and Victorian Studies. His current book project, The Genres of Comparative Religion, 1783-1927, analyzes how literary forms shaped cross-cultural religious comparisons.

Lecourt's research has been supported by prestigious grants from the American Council of Learned Societies, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute for Advanced Study at the University of Konstanz. He teaches courses on British Empire literature, Victorian science fiction, children’s literature, and literary theory.