Dr. Oliver Double is a Senior Lecturer in Comic and Popular Performance at the University of Kent, where he has taught since 1999. He specializes in stand-up comedy, alternative comedy, and variety theatre, with a focus on first-person audience engagement and historical analysis. As Deputy Head of School, he contributes to academic leadership while maintaining an active research profile. Established the British Stand-Up Comedy Archive (BSUCA) at Templeman Library, Canterbury Interviews Editor of Comedy Studies journal His research explores direct performer-audience dynamics, including works on Karl Valentin, Brechtian cabaret, and punk rock's theatrical dimensions. Key themes include comedy's sociocultural impact, performance authenticity, and the transformation of personal experiences into material. Recent publications analyze Laura Lexx's mental health narratives, tracing terminology origins of stand-up, and examining rehearsal processes. His teaching integrates archival resources and performance theory, preparing students for careers in comedy and related fields. Active in public scholarship, he contributes to documentaries and maintains an ongoing creative practice through the Funny Rabbit comedy club and solo performances like Break a Leg (2015) and Saint Pancreas (2006).
Katarína Labudová serves as an Associate Professor at the Department of English Language and Literature within the Faculty of Arts and Letters at Catholic University in Ružomberok, Slovakia. She holds the additional role of Erasmus+ Department Coordinator, facilitating international academic exchanges. Dr. Labudová earned her PhD in Comparative Literatures in 2011 and maintains regular office hours for student consultations on Tuesdays from 10:30-12:00 by appointment. Her research interests center on Margaret Atwood's literary works, particularly examining food motifs within speculative fiction across Atwood's major dystopian narratives. Labudová has extended her scholarly focus to include Angela Carter's writings, fairy tale adaptations, biblical myth reconstructions, and the intersection of narrative theory with cultural studies. Her methodological approach combines feminist criticism, comparative literature analysis, and cultural anthropology perspectives to explore how literature reflects and critiques social power structures. Labudová's publication record reveals a consistent trajectory of scholarly engagement with Atwood's works from 2010-2022, culminating in her 2022 monograph Food in Margaret Atwood's Speculative Fiction and textbook Studying Margaret Atwood: Shifting the Boundaries of Genres . Her articles demonstrate increasing specialization in food symbolism within dystopian literature, with particular attention to how dietary restrictions function as mechanisms of patriarchal control. Recent work has expanded to analyze Slovak and Romani folk narrative traditions alongside contemporary literary adaptations. As an educator, Dr. Labudová teaches courses on British and Canadian literature, bringing her research expertise directly into the classroom. Her academic work bridges literary analysis with cultural critique, examining how narrative forms both reflect and challenge societal norms regarding gender, power, and environmental sustainability. Her contributions to Margaret Atwood scholarship have established her as a significant voice in contemporary Canadian literary studies within Central European academia.
Joan M. Hoffman is a Professor of Spanish at Western Washington University, serving as Study-Abroad Advisor, Summer Advisor for Spanish, and Point Person for Spanish Outreach. She holds a B.A. from the University of Washington, an M.A. from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and a Ph.D. from Indiana University. Her research focuses on 19th-Century Spanish Realism, Spanish Women Writers, the Spanish Civil War, and narrative/drama studies. She actively advises students on study abroad opportunities and promotes Spanish program outreach. Her publications emphasize anthologies of Spanish women's literature and critical analyses of gender dynamics in Spanish texts, spanning works from the Baroque to modern realism. Notable books include La otra historia (2024) and Voces femeninas de España (2015), with articles exploring themes like trauma, maternal imagery, and subversion in narratives by María de Zayas and Emilia Pardo Bazán. Hoffman's teaching spans advanced Spanish courses, including SPAN 301, 351, and 401 during the 2024-25 academic year. While no scientific awards are listed, her contributions to Spanish literary scholarship and education are highlighted through her extensive publication record and academic advising roles. She maintains an open-door policy for student consultations, offering flexible office hours in MH 222A and Zoom availability when in-person visits are不便.
Göran Magnus Blix is a Professor of French and Italian and Chair of the Department of French and Italian at Princeton University. His research bridges nineteenth-century French literature with contemporary environmental humanities, focusing on ecocriticism, animal studies, and the politics of the novel. Current projects include: The Heroism of Modern Life : Examines democratization’s impact on heroic archetypes in French literature. Ecoapathy and Biophilia : Traces the genealogy of nature sentiment from Rousseau to Reclus. Thinking With Animals : Explores posthuman fables post-Darwin. Coal Culture and Fossil Fiction : Documents coal’s cultural impact in late-nineteenth-century literature. His teaching spans topics like the nineteenth-century novel, environmental disaster, and socially marginal figures. Key research areas include romanticism, realism, literary aesthetics, and the historical imagination. Articles highlight his interdisciplinary focus, spanning instinct-intelligence debates, Flaubert’s animal imagery, Balzac’s occult realism, and eco-allegories in Leconte de Lisle. His 2008 book From Paris to Pompeii analyzes archaeology’s influence on secular death attitudes.
Ingrid Hotz-Davies is Professor of English Literature and Gender Studies at the English Seminar, Philosophische Fakultät, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen. She has held this position since 2001 and leads a dynamic research environment focused on gender, queer theory, early modern literature, and cultural narratives. She is actively involved in multiple academic programs and leadership roles, including co-directing the Tübingen Center for Gender and Diversity Studies and serving as the Gender Equality Representative for academic staff and students. Her academic journey includes a PhD from Dalhousie University (Canada), an MA/State Examination from the University of Munich, and a habilitation completed in Munich in 2000. Her research interests include Gender/Queer Studies, Women’s Literature from the Renaissance to the present, Early Modern Prose, and the dynamics of censorship and identity formation. She has organized numerous seminars on topics such as queer theory, camp aesthetics, postmodern realism, and the cultural construction of heterosexuality. Her work bridges literary analysis with philosophical, psychoanalytic, and sociopolitical inquiry. The recent publications analyzed reflect a consistent engagement with gender performativity, camp aesthetics, closet narratives, and the intersections of literature with psychoanalysis, religion, and political power. Her scholarship spans from Renaissance texts to contemporary science fiction, demonstrating a broad and interdisciplinary reach. Gender Equality Representative, University of Tübingen (since Nov. 2023) Academic Coordinator, Erasmus Mundus MA Program 'Crossway in Cultural Narratives' (since 2017) Co-Director, Tübingen Center for Gender and Diversity Studies (since 2013) Equal Opportunities Officer, University of Tübingen (2014–present; also 2002–2006) Academic Coordinator, Erasmus Mundus Doctoral Program 'Cultural Studies in Literary Interzones' (2010–2018) She supervises a diverse group of PhD candidates working on topics such as precariousness in Jean Rhys, polymigrant imagination, feminist speculative fiction, posthuman weird fiction, and the representation of subaltern female workers. Her mentorship extends into interdisciplinary research involving affect theory, postcolonial studies, and identity politics. While no direct mention of funding grants is made, her leadership in international Erasmus Mundus programs implies significant grant acquisition and project management experience. She is affiliated with the English Seminar's research environment and contributes to collaborative projects such as the 'Dark Side of Camp Aesthetics' and 'Naturalization of Gender'. Her work fosters transnational academic exchange and critical inquiry into marginalized voices and cultural border zones.
Ying Wang is an Associate Professor and Department Chairperson in the Department of Modern Languages/Cultures at Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Pace University, New York City. She specializes in French and Chinese language, literature, and cultural studies, with a strong focus on 19th-century French women’s writings and gender studies. BA in French, Dalian University of Foreign Languages MA in French, Bowling Green State University (2005) MA in French with specialization in literary translation, Dalian University of Foreign Languages (2002) PhD in French and Women’s Studies, Pennsylvania State University (2011) Her research centers on representations of deviance in gender, race, class, and disability within 19th-century French literature, particularly through the lens of female authors. She combines textual analysis with socio-cultural critique to explore how women writers transgress patriarchal constraints. Her work emphasizes irony, transgression, and the fantastic as tools of resistance. She is also an active translator of French and English literary works into Chinese, contributing to cross-cultural literary exchange. The 15 most recent publications and presentations reflect a consistent engagement with themes of rebellion, fantasy, and gender in 19th-century French literature. Her scholarship frequently analyzes works by George Sand, Juliette Lamber, and Judith Gautier, focusing on how female characters and authors negotiate identity, power, and narrative control. The articles span literary criticism, translation, and conference presentations, demonstrating both academic depth and international scholarly engagement. Scientific Awards: Pace University Scholarly Research Award (2024) Pace University Book Completion Award (2022) Pace University Kenan Fund for Faculty Development (2011–2021) Pace University Scholarly Research Award (2015) Ying Wang has been consistently supported by internal research funding from Pace University, indicating strong institutional recognition of her scholarly contributions. She actively mentors undergraduate students through courses and internships in French and Chinese. Her professional service includes memberships in key academic organizations such as the Modern Language Association, Women in French, and the George Sand Association. She also contributes to university governance through service on curriculum and admissions committees. She is involved in academic communities focused on 19th-century French studies and gender, regularly presenting at national and international conferences. Her leadership as department chair and sustained research output underscore her active role in both administration and scholarship.
Ines Corujo Martin is an Assistant Professor at the City University of New York, College of Technology, within the School of Arts & Sciences and Department of Humanities. Her research bridges Hispanic literature, visual/material culture, gender studies, and transatlantic perspectives, with a focus on fashion objects as identity markers in 19th-21st century Spain and Latin America. Ph.D. in Hispanic Literature and Cultural Studies from Georgetown University M.A. in Spanish Applied Linguistics from Instituto Cervantes-Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo M.A. in Spanish Literature and Culture from Universidad Complutense M.A. in Teaching Spanish Language and Literature from Universidad Complutense B.A. in Hispanic Philology from Universidad Complutense Her work employs archival and object-based methodologies, supported by international fellowships, to analyze intersections of fashion, gender, and cultural identity. She also specializes in interdisciplinary language pedagogy and Spanish applied linguistics. Scholarly projects include studies of Elena Quiroga's postwar narratives, philosophical approaches to fashion analysis, and transatlantic literary exchanges. Her publications span journals like Lectora and edited volumes from Bloomsbury Visual Arts and Peter Lang. 2017 Victoria Urbano Prize for Best Graduate Essay Ignacio R.M. Galbis Graduate Award for Best Original Work Teaching encompasses courses in Spanish language, literature, and Latin American fashion culture. Her research has involved global archival investigations into material culture.
Simone Chess is an Associate Professor of English and Director of the Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies Program at Wayne State University, Detroit. She also leads the Center for Gender and Sexuality. Her work focuses on queer/trans studies, disability studies, and early modern British literature. Key roles include editing a special issue on 'Early Modern Trans Studies' (2019) and co-managing the Warrior Women Project digital archive. Awards include the 2024 Wayne State President’s Teaching Excellence Award and 2018 Diversity Champions honor. Her research explores crossdressing in early modern texts, gender performance, and intersections of disability/queerness. Notable publications include Male-to-Female Crossdressing in Early Modern English Literature (2016) and articles on topics like 'queer residue' in theatrical labor, asexuality in Renaissance texts, and adaptive technologies. Current projects include a Shakespeare/trans culture monograph and a disability-queer technologies study. Teaching includes courses on Shakespeare, women’s studies, and pedagogical strategies. She actively collaborates on digital humanities projects and has received multiple teaching awards. Her work bridges literary analysis with social justice advocacy, focusing on marginalized identities in early modern contexts.
Edward Gieskes is a Professor in the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of South Carolina , specializing in Shakespearean studies, early modern drama, and genre theory. His work bridges historical analysis with theoretical frameworks from the Bakhtin circle and literary theory. PhD, Boston University (1999) MA, Boston University (1991) BA, University of California, Berkeley (1990) Research focuses on generic innovation in Elizabethan and Jacobean drama, with a particular interest in Shakespeare’s contemporaries. He is working on a book titled "Not marching in fields of Trasimene": Generic Innovation in Shakespeare and His Contemporaries , which examines shifts in dramatic genres and their reception history. His recent publications and presentations explore intersections between theatre history, cultural theory, and classical reception, including studies of Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus , Chaucer’s influence on Shakespeare, and legal culture in Middleton’s works. He has co-edited the essay collection Writing Robert Greene and contributed to critical guides and journals. At the University of South Carolina, Gieskes teaches courses such as English Renaissance Drama, Excluding Shakespeare , Shakespeare’s Comedies and Histories , and Elizabethan, Jacobean, and Caroline Drama , engaging students in the complexities of early modern literary production.
David Greven is a Professor in the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of South Carolina's College of Arts and Sciences. He specializes in nineteenth-century American literature , queer theory , gender studies , and film/television analysis , particularly focusing on works by Alfred Hitchcock, Brian De Palma, and contemporary Hollywood genres. His academic career spans multiple publications and international presentations. Ph.D., Brandeis University (2002) B.A., Hunter College, CUNY (1996) Greven's research explores intersections of masculinity and queer subtext in antebellum American authors like Melville, Hawthorne, and Poe. He examines how Shakespearean and Miltonic traditions influenced American Romanticism, as detailed in his 2024 book All the Devils Are Here . His film studies range from Hitchcock's gender politics to beta male comedies and cyborg cinema , notably in Queering the Terminator (2017). Key trends in his recent publications (2015–2025) include analyses of queer representation in HBO's Deadwood , gendered trauma in Jordan Peele's Get Out , and literary influence between Melville and Hawthorne. His 2025 revised edition of Men Beyond Desire introduces chapters on 1850s masculinities and race in Melville's Billy Budd . Lambda Literary Award Finalist (2017) for Ghost Faces Russell Research Award (2020), University of South Carolina Phyllis W. Meadow Award (2007) for psychoanalytic writing Greven advises on queer film projects and serves on editorial boards for journals like Genders and The Nathaniel Hawthorne Review . His 2010–2025 presentations at conferences in Paris, Kyoto, and Lisbon highlight collaborations in international queer scholarship .
Miranda Fay Thomas is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Drama at Trinity College Dublin, where she teaches across undergraduate and postgraduate levels and supervises doctoral students. She currently serves as Director of Undergraduate Teaching and Learning for the School of Creative Arts, Visiting Student Co-ordinator for Drama, and School Champion for the Trinity Inclusive Curriculum Project. Her leadership roles include directing the MPhil in Theatre and Performance program and co-chairing Trinity's LGBTQ+ Staff Network. Her research focuses on Shakespearean performance, early modern embodiment, and casting practices. Key works include her monograph *Shakespeare's Body Language: Shaming Gestures and Gender Politics on the Renaissance Stage* (2019) and the Arden Performance Edition of *The Tempest* (2021). Recent projects explore diversity in Shakespearean casting and the socio-political implications of typecasting. Thomas has published widely in journals like *Shakespeare Quarterly* and *Early Modern Literary Studies*, and contributes to initiatives expanding access to theatre history through her roles with the British Shakespeare Association and Hedgepig Theatre's 'Expand The Canon' project. Her work bridges academic research and public engagement via podcasts, literary reviews, and programme notes for Shakespeare's Globe productions. Her academic service includes roles as a peer reviewer for leading publishers and trustee of the British Shakespeare Association. Current research includes a monograph on Shakespeare's Globe under female artistic directors and a special issue on the First Folio's legacy. She actively promotes inclusive curriculum development and LGBTQ+ representation in academia.
Dr Artur Przemysław Sadecki is an Adjunct Professor at the Department of Slavic Philology, Faculty of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University. His academic career focuses on Russian literature, cognitive linguistics, and narrative theory, with a particular emphasis on Anton Chekhov's prose. Literary studies Cognitive linguistics Narrative theory Slavic studies Aesthetic analysis Gender dynamics His research explores conceptual integration in Chekhov's works, miscommunication through mind theory, and the symbolic representation of identity and domesticity. Recent publications analyze existential themes in Chekhov's "Koszmar" and the paradoxical portrayal of love in "Bransoleta z granatów". As a linguist and literary critic, he contributes to journals like Acta Humana , Slavia Orientalis , and Przegląd Rusycystyczny , while also serving as a language editor for academic publications.
Catherine Breillat is a Professor of Film at The European Graduate School (EGS). A Paris-based filmmaker and writer, she is renowned for provocative works exploring sexuality, gender, and censorship. Her career spans over five decades, marked by controversial films like Romance (1999) and À ma soeur! (2001), which challenge societal norms and interrogate female subjectivity. Breillat's films often blend surreal imagery with raw realism, resisting conventional narrative structures. She has also authored novels, screenplays, and essays, including Pornocracy (2008), which critiques patriarchal control over sexual representation. Her academic role at EGS reflects her dual identity as artist and theorist. Breillat's work is deeply influenced by Italian neorealism, prioritizing long takes and unfiltered documentation of human experience. Key themes include female desire, censorship, and the body as a site of political struggle. Despite frequent clashes with censors, her films have earned critical acclaim internationally, with The Last Mistress (2007) receiving widespread praise. Breillat's career began in acting (e.g., Last Tango in Paris , 1972), transitioning to directing in 1975. Her early film Une vraie jeune fille (1976) was banned until 2000. She collaborates with actors like Asia Argento and Rocco Siffredi, using unconventional casting to amplify narrative complexity. Her interviews and lectures (e.g., on Bluebeard ) reveal a commitment to expanding cinematic language and confronting taboos. Notable influences include the Marquis de Sade and Nagisa Oshima, while her aesthetic innovations challenge mainstream erotic conventions. Breillat's work continues to provoke dialogue about art's role in confronting societal repression, solidifying her legacy as a feminist iconoclast.
Laurence Bachmann is an Associate Professor at the Geneva School of Social Work (HETS-GE), part of the Western Switzerland University of Applied Sciences (HES-SO). She works within the Social Work Department and the Social Research Center (CERES), with additional involvement in the VisionS - HES Health-Social Continuing Education Center. Her academic position focuses on gender studies, social work practices, and personal transformation processes. Professor Bachmann's research interests center on gender and social work, particularly the transformation of gendered dispositions, becoming a feminist, the appropriation of social sciences, and sociology of self-knowledge tools. Her work examines how individuals transform their gendered dispositions through engagement with feminist ideas and social science knowledge. She has conducted significant research on nonviolent communication, debt management in social work, and masculinity studies. Her publication trends reveal a consistent focus on gender transformation processes, social work practices, and personal development techniques. Recent work (2023-2025) increasingly examines embodied leadership, reflective practices in social work management, and the experiences of men transforming their relationship to dominant masculinity. Throughout her career, she has maintained a strong focus on how social science knowledge is appropriated to transform gendered dispositions and practices. Professor Bachmann led a major SNSF-funded research project (2020-2024) titled 'Personal development: a cross-cutting sociological analysis of popular techniques of the self and their scope' with a budget of 406,407 CHF. This project examined nonviolent communication across different contexts including French-speaking Switzerland and California, analyzing how individuals appropriate these techniques and transform their dispositions. The research took an intersectional approach considering gender, class, and other social positions. She has collaborated extensively with colleagues including Anne Perriard, Sophie Rodari, Anne Ronchi, and Francis Loser, often working in interdisciplinary teams that bridge sociology, social work practice, and organizational development. Her research frequently connects theoretical frameworks with practical applications in social work settings.
Doaa Omran is an Instructor in the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of New Mexico. She holds a PhD from UNM (2019) with a dissertation on female hero archetypes in medieval European romances informed by Quranic and biblical figures. Her research spans medieval literature, mythology, post-colonial theory, and feminism. Education: B.A. in English from Alexandria University, Egypt; M.A. and PhD in English at UNM. Awards include the Fulbright Scholarship (2007), Women of Color Award (2012), Dean of Graduate Studies Dissertation Award (2016), and Larry Morris Memorial Scholarship (2018). Research interests focus on decolonizing literary criticism, cross-cultural utopian thought, and subaltern narratives. Her recent work examines Muslim women's writing, post-colonial identity, and pre-modern historical representations of slavery and incarceration. She co-edits a volume on Muslim women writers and frequently publishes in medieval studies and feminist theory. Key themes in her scholarship include anachronism in medieval texts, intersections between gender and colonialism, and the reclamation of marginalized voices. Her articles critically analyze works from al-Farabi to Thomas Moore, exploring how pre-modern texts construct idealized communities. Current Projects: Co-editing 'Muslim Women's Writing Across Regions' Lab/Affiliation: Parish Library affiliated researcher
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