Can you introduce yourself?
After doing a PhD on representations of tragic subjectivity in early modern plays by English women in Groningen (2003), I lectured in English and American studies at the universities of Groningen and Leiden for a couple of years. In 2007 I was appointed as an Asssistant Professor in English Literature at Radboud University.
During my years here at Radboud I have taught 17th and 18th- century British Literature, a course on early modern drama, Fools and Furies, as well as courses such as Beyond Britishness and 19th and 20th-century British Literature. As I further developed my expertise in Irish and Irish diasporic literature and culture over the years, I integrated this field in Beyond Britishness, research seminars and the current MA Literary Studies course on Memory. Furthermore, in the past I developed and ran various MA courses on Irish Literature. In the Research MA I taught Contemporary Debates and a course called Regionalism and Beyond for many years.
In 2010 I was awarded an ERC Starting Grant for Consolidators for a project on the cultural memories of Ireland’s Great Famine in fiction, which, amongst others, resulted in my monograph Relocated Memories: The Great Famine in Irish and Diaspora Fiction, 1846-1870 (Syracuse UP, 2017). Ever since I have ran a Great Irish Famine Studies network at Radboud University, as well as an international network on the Dublin Gate Theatre (together with my colleague Ruud van den Beuken), all funded by the Dutch Research Council
NWO.
With a group of colleagues, I am forming an EFACIS Irish Studies Centre at Radboud. We regularly host writers and artists from Ireland, as part of the Irish itinerary.
Since 2019 I have been leading two big research projects, funded by an NWO VICI grant and an NWA grant. In January 2020 I was appointed as Full Professor in Irish Literature in Transnational Contexts.
Why did you choose to study in this field? What makes this field so interesting?
During my teenage years, I developed a strong interest in languages and writing. I also very much enjoyed reading novels and poetry. I decided to go for English Language and Culture at the University of Groningen, because I was greatly attracted to English culture and loved works by Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy and the Brontë sisters.
English studies is a broad discipline which looks beyond Britain in the language variations and literatures that it examines, to include Canada, Australia, Ireland and the Caribbean, amongst others. English studies enables students to learn about imperialism, postcolonialism, multiculturalism and migration, amongst others. As such, it is an exciting field of study through which students learn about contexts related to present-day issues, such as Brexit, the legacies of settler colonialism, and conflicted postcolonial societies.
What do you like best about being a lecturer?
Making students enthusiastic about English literature and culture; generating further awareness among them about the interaction between literature, culture and societal issues. And additionally, letting students discover their own interests and talents.
What are you currently doing your own research on?
My research field is primarily Irish and Irish diasporic literature and culture. I am currently leading two big projects funded by the Dutch Research Council, NWO. The first is a VICI project entitled Redefining the Region and studies representations of local colour in the press and in fiction in Europe and North America, during the long nineteenth century. Within this larger project I am especially interested in writings on Irish regions by Revival authors such as Jane Barlow and Katharine Tynan.
My second project, funded by an NWA grant, builds forth on my expertise in the legacies of Ireland’s Great Famine, and is called Heritages of Hunger. It researches how European famines taking place between 1845-1947 have been and are presently being mediated in classroom teaching, commemoration and museum practices.
What advice do you have for students making their study choice?
Follow your own interests first and foremost. There are more job opportunities after your graduation than you could possibly imagine now. So I recommend following your passions in choosing your study programme. Once you have started your studies, it is also worth exploring how you may broaden your knowledge, through minor programmes but certainly also a term abroad or an internship. Make the most of your time by broadening your experience and finding out who you are and what directions you want to explore in the nearby future.