Ty Blakeney

Ty Blakeney is an Assistant Professor of French at Northwestern University's Department of French and Italian, housed within the Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences. He holds a PhD from UC Berkeley (2023) and a BA from Reed College (2012). His research focuses on French literature, culture, and cinema from the 19th to 21st centuries, with specialization in sexuality studies and critical theory.

Blakeney's first book project, Amis de la gaieté, examines same-sex sexuality in French prisons during the July Monarchy (1830–48) and its modern legacies, challenging the 'outlaw thesis' by reconfiguring state-sexuality dynamics through Foucault and Bourdieu. He critiques queer theory's blind spots via studies of figures like Renaud Camus and explores intersections of nationalism in Proust.

Teaching includes courses like 'The History of Heterosexuality' and 'Prisons in French Culture,' emphasizing theoretical engagement with cultural-historical context. His work appears in journals such as Paragraph and edited volumes like Reaction Formations. Office located in Crowe Hall 2-142.