糖心TV

Research interests

• My research interests include twentieth- and twenty-first century French and Belgian literatures (especially colonial writing and discourses), francophone postcolonial literature and thought from Sub-Saharan Africa, African philosophy, French thought and race, the relationship between African literature and the visual arts and extractivism.
• My research has been supported by the AHRC and the British Academy (BA Mid-Career Fellowship); Between 2010 and 2015 I was a member of the international research network 'Conceptual Histories of the World and Global Translations', funded by the Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Fund. With colleagues from SOAS, Charles University (Prague), and INALCO (Paris), I have been awarded, as 鈥楽enior Research Fellow鈥�, a five-year European Research Council Consolidator grant (2020-2025) focusing on . In March 2025, I was awarded a Leverhulme Research Fellowship (15 months) to work on a monograph provisionally entitled DRC Extractivism across the Arts and Literature.
• I was a member of the AHRC Peer Review College (2012-2020).
• Corresponding Fellow of the Acad茅mie Royale des Sciences d鈥橭utre-Mer/Koninklijke Academie voor Overzeese Wetenchappen (Brussels) since 2015; Research Associate at the 鈥楲es Afriques dans le monde鈥� (LAM), CNRS-funded research team, Sciences Po, University of Bordeaux.
• I have supervised doctoral theses on the notion of the postcolonial 鈥榝able鈥� (in Chamoiseau's texts); on political Islamism during the Algerian civil war of the 1990s; on the Guinean novelist Tierno Mon茅nembo; on the role of translation in postcolonial texts from the French Caribbean; on Francophone North African authors examining the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; on censorship and decolonization in French, francophone and English-language playwrights from the UK, France, Jamaica and Algeria; and on the Haitian intellectual Ant茅nor Firmin (1850-1911) and the Georgian linguist Nikolai Marr; on Sony Labou Tansi's theatrical production; on the notion of the unsayable in Francophone and Anglophone Caribbean fiction. I am currently supervising five theses on the reception and the translation of Conan Doyle's work in China; on the notion of displacement in French Caribbean authors (Alfred Alexandre, Patrick Chamoiseau and Gis猫le Pineau); on postcolonial and post-industrial contemporary French fiction (Nicolas Matthieu, Alice Zeniter and Mahir Guven); on the Lebanese-Canadian novelist and playwright Wajdi Mouawad; and on Contemporary Crime Fiction in Chinese Translation.
• I am keen to consider further MA and Ph.D supervisions in my research areas.

Teaching and supervision

I am responsible for a range of second-year and final-year modules, including , , , Slavery and After and . I also teach the option and contribute to the teaching of translation in French Studies.

Administrative roles

• Head of the department of French Studies from Sept 2014 to Sept 2017
• SMLC Year Abroad Director (2018-19)
• Chair of the Equality and Inclusion Forum, Faculty of Arts (2020-22)
• Member of the University's Staff Academic Committee (2020-23)
• Head of Translation and Transcultural Studies (2022-24)

Publications

Single-authored books

• , Contemporary French and Francophone Cultures鈥�, 74, Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2021, 328pp. ISBN: 978-1-80034-840-0
• , 鈥楥ontemporary French and Francophone Cultures鈥�, 29, Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2013, 262pp. ISBN: 9781846318948
• (1918-1940), 'Bibiloth猫que de Litt茅rature G茅n茅rale et Compar茅e', Paris, 脡ditions Honor茅 Champion, 2007, 288pp. ISBN 9782745316875
• , coll. 鈥楥ritiques Litt茅raires鈥�, Paris, 脡ditions L鈥橦armattan, 2003, 312pp. ISBN 2-7475-5005-2

(Co-)edited volumes

• , Leuven University Press and in , 2022, 427pp. ISBN 9789461664921

• 'Translating African Thought and Literature', special issue of the , 81.3 (Oct 2018) pp. 405-531
• , co-edited with Daniel Orrells, Virginia University Press, 2016, 240pp. ISBN 9780813939117
• 'Francophone African Philosophy and the Aftermath of the Empire', special issue of the International Journal of Francophone Studies, Volume 18, Numbers 2-3 (2015), pp.147-394, ISSN 1368-2679, Online ISSN: 1758-9142
• Presentation and scholarly edition of: Roland Lebel, [originaly published in 1925], Paris: coll. 'Autrement m锚mes', 2014, xlii + 306 pp., ISBN 978-2-343-03177-4
• Regional editor (for Belgium) of A Historical Companion to Postcolonial Literatures: Continental Europe and Its Empires, edited by Prem Poddar, Rajeev S. Patke and Lars Jensen, Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press, 2008, 635 pp.
• La Belgique entre deux si猫cles : laboratoire de la modernit茅, 1880-1914, co-edited with Nathalie Aubert and Patrick McGuinness, coll. 鈥楻omanticism and after in France', Oxford/Bern: Peter Lang, 2007, 272 pp. ISBN 3-03910-528-0
• From Art Nouveau to Surrealism. Belgian Modernity in the Making, co-edited with Nathalie Aubert and Patrick McGuinness, Oxford, Legenda, 2007, 210 pp. ISBN 13: 9781904350644

Chapters

• "V.Y. Mudimbe's Modernities: Towards a Temporal and Spatial Excavation of (Neo)colonialism", in

  Abdelmadjid Salim, Marie-Aude Fou茅r茅 et Ma毛line Le Lay (eds), (Paris/Nairobi: Africae/Twaweza, Africae Series 2025), pp. 77-102.

• 鈥楾hinking, Performing and Overcoming Belgium鈥檚 鈥淐olonial Power Matrix鈥�?: an Introduction鈥�, in P-P. Fraiture (ed.), , (Leuven: Leuven UP, 2022), pp. 11-39.
• 鈥楾racking the Potholes of Colonial History: Sinzo Aanza鈥檚 G茅n茅alogie d鈥檜ne banalit茅 and Fiston Mwanza Mujila鈥檚 Tram 83鈥�, in P-P. Fraiture (ed.), (Leuven: Leuven UP, 2022), pp. 359-379.

• 鈥楽eeing, Hearing, Breathing, and Witnessing from the Africana Center at Cornell: an Afterword鈥�, in Grant Farred (ed), Africana Studies: Theoretical Futures (Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press, 2022), pp. 163-174.

• 鈥楢frican Art: from Primitivism to Arts Premiers鈥�, in Cecilie H酶gsbro 脴stergaard (ed.), Sonja Ferlov Mancoba: Mask and Face (Copenhagen: Statens Museum For Kunst, 2019), pp. 155-167 – catalogue of an exhibition held at the National Gallery of Denmark (9 Feb to 5 May 2019) and at the Centre Pompidou (26 June to 23 September 2019) -  

• 鈥楢n Untimely Concept: Decolonization and the Works of Mudimbe, Mbembe and Nganang鈥�, in Rhiannon Stevens and Axel Fleisch (eds), Doing Conceptual History in Africa, New York/Oxford: Berghahn, (2016), pp. 213-236.

• 鈥榁.-Y. Mudimbe in Partibus鈥�, in Maurice Amuri Mpala-Lutebele (ed.), Lubumbashi, cent ans d鈥檋istoire, Paris, 脡ditions L鈥橦armattan (2013), pp. 307-319.

• 'Paul Hazoum茅 et Valentin Yves Mudimbe: de la pratique anthropologique 脿 sa m茅ta-critique', in Alain-Michel Boyer, Litt茅rature et ethnographie, 'Horizons comparatistes' - Universit茅 de Nantes (Nantes: Editions Nouvelles C茅cile Defaut, 2011), pp. 185-204.

• 鈥榁.Y. Mudimbe鈥檚 鈥淟ong Nineteenth Century鈥� 鈥�, in Charles Forsdick and David Murphy, Postcolonial Thought in the French-Speaking World, 鈥楶ostcolonialism Across the Disciplines鈥�, 4 (Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2009), pp. 136-146

• 鈥楨ntre magie et historicit茅: Un Soir, un train d鈥橝ndr茅 Delvaux鈥�, in Lise Toft & Lisbeth Verstraete-Hansen, Une Francophonie plurielle. Langues, id茅es et cultures en mouvement, 鈥樏塼udes Romanes鈥�, 59 (Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press, 2009), pp. 155-167

• 鈥楤elgique-Congo: dialogues et bricolages intertextuels鈥�, in D茅sir茅 K. Wa Kabwe-Segatti & Pierre Halen (eds), Du N猫gre Bambara au n茅gropolitain. Les literatures africaines en contexte transculturel (Metz: Presses de l鈥橴niversit茅 Paul Verlaine-Metz, 2008), pp. 65-81

• 鈥�Maltissage et symbolisme: La Congolie d'Edmond Picard, laboratoire d'une modernit茅 ambigu毛鈥�, in Nathalie Aubert and Pierre-Philippe Fraiture (eds.), La Belgique entre deux si猫cles : laboratoire de la modernit茅, 1880-1914, Oxford/Bern, Peter Lang, 2007, pp. 33-50.
• 'Belgian 'Negro Fiction: Modernist Itinerary of a Didactic Genre', in Nathalie Aubert and Pierre-Philippe Fraiture (eds.), From Art Nouveau to Surrealism, Oxford, Legenda, 2007, pp. 41-56.
• 鈥楧e l鈥檌nfluence du Goncourt sur le corpus colonial: le cas Batouala鈥�, in Kate Ashley (ed.), Prix Goncourt, 1903-2003: essais critiques, coll. 鈥楳odern French Identitities鈥�, 23, Oxford/Bern: Peter Lang, 2004, pp. 95-109.
• 鈥楬enri Corn茅lus ou les r锚veries didactiques d鈥檜n nouvelliste colonial鈥�, in Vincent Engel & Ren茅 Godenne (eds.), Nouvelles et nouvellistes belges. Essai d鈥檈ncyclop茅die critique, Louvain: Academia-Bruylant, 2003, pp. 309-25.
• 鈥楲itt茅ratures francophones de Belgique: Alt茅rit茅 et (anti)colonialisme鈥�, in Christine O鈥橠owd-Smyth (ed.), Litt茅ratures francophones: la probl茅matique de l鈥檃lt茅rit茅, Waterford, WIT School of Humanities Publications, 2001, pp. 177-189.

• 鈥楲鈥檈nseignement de la litt茅rature au Qu茅bec et en Belgique francophone: deux strat茅gies divergentes鈥�, in Gabriella Adamo (ed.), L鈥橧dentit脿 negata. Spazio reale e spazio immaginario nel Qu茅bec, Messina: Andrea Lippolis Editore, 1999, pp. 115-124.

• 鈥楶arcours historique de la litt茅rature fran莽aise de Belgique 脿 travers les images et les textes d鈥檜ne exposition: Les Irr茅guliers du langage鈥�, in M.G. Adamo, P.P. Fraiture, D. Iaria and R. Corona (eds), Les Irr茅guliers du langage ou 鈥楢lercchino senza Mantello鈥�: Fantasmi della 鈥楤elgit茅鈥�, Quaderni dei Nuovi Annali della Facolt谩 di Magistero dell鈥橴niversit谩 di Messina, 13-14, Roma: Casa Editrice Herder, 1996, pp. 648-655.

Articles

• ', French Studies , 78.1 (Jan 2024), pp. 101-127.

• 鈥�

• 鈥楧igging Holes, Excavating the Present, Mining the Future: Extractivism, Time, and Memory in Fiston Mwanza Mujila鈥檚 and Sammy Baloji鈥檚 Works鈥�, Modern Contemporary France , 32.1 (2024), pp. 139-159
• 鈥楪eorges Balandier鈥檚 Africa: Postcolonial Translations and ambiguous 搁别辫谤颈蝉别蝉鈥�, Bulletin of SOAS, special issue on 鈥楾ranslating African Thought and Literature鈥�, 81.3 (Oct 2018), pp. 475-492.
• 'Translating African Thought and Literature: Postcolonial Glottopolitics', Bulletin of SOAS, special issue on 鈥楾ranslating African Thought and Literature鈥�, 81.3 (Oct 2018), pp. 405-412.

• 鈥�Statues also die', Journal of French and Francophone Philosophy - Revue de la philosophie fran莽aise et de langue fran莽aise, Vol XXIV, No 1 (2016), pp. 45-67.

• 'African philosophy and Francophone cultures: Chronological perspectives', International Journal of Francophone Studies, Volume 18, Numbers 2-3 (2015), pp. 147-170
• 'Les Statues meurent aussi: The death and after-death of African art', Journal of Francophone Studies, Volume 18, Numbers 2-3 (2015), pp. 191-214
• 'V.Y. Mudimbe : ordre du discours et 茅mancipation du sujet africain', 顿别蝉驳茅苍茅谤补迟颈辞苍蝉, 23 ('Pr茅voir avec l'Afrique, agir dans le monde qui vient', edited by Arnaud Zohou), June 2015
• 'VY Mudimbe: from the 鈥淣ation鈥� to the 鈥淕lobal鈥� - 鈥淲ho is the Master?鈥濃��, Journal of Historical Sociology, 27 (3), 2014, pp.324-342, 2014
• 'Mudimbe's Homo Absconditus: Towards a Resurrection of the Human', International Journal of Francophone Studies, Volume 15, Numbers 3-4, (2013) , pp. 455-475
• 'Mudimbe's Fetish of the West and Epistemological Utopianism', French Studies, 63 (3) (2009), pp. 308-322
• 鈥楳odernity and the Belgian Congo鈥�, Tydskrif vir Letterkunde, 46 (1)(2009), pp. 43-57
• 鈥楳ytho-bricolage et r茅cit ethnographique chez Henri Drum鈥�, Congo-Meuse, 7 (2008), pp. 109-129
• 鈥�Batouala, v茅ritable roman d鈥檜n faux ethnographe ?鈥�, 贵谤补苍肠辞蹿辞苍铆补, 14 (2005), 23-37
• 鈥楯oseph Esser, un 茅crivain colonial de la diversalit茅鈥�, Congo-Meuse, 4-5, 2002, pp. 120-43
• 鈥楾radition et subversion dans l鈥櫯搖vre coloniale de George Duncan鈥�, Revue G茅n茅rale, 5, 2000, pp. 59-68
• 鈥楲es Contes congolais d鈥橦enri Corn茅lus鈥�, A.S.C.A.L.F. Yearbook, 4, 2000, pp. 123-35
• 鈥楲a L茅gende de Thyl Ulenspiegel et le Gu茅pard: bibles de deux unifications?鈥�, in Josette Gousseau (ed.) Sicilia e Belgio: Specularit谩 e Interculturalit谩, Annali della Facolt谩 di Lettere dell鈥橴niversit谩 di Palermo, Studi e Ricerche, 21, 1995, pp.155-61

Recent papers

• Institut Fran莽ais de Recherche en Afrique/University of Nairobi, Department of Philosophy and Theology (Dec. 2019): 鈥榁Y Mudimbe鈥檚 Modernities ?鈥�
• Amherst College (April 2017), 鈥楢frican Philosophy: Violence and Discipline鈥�
• Cornell University (June 2015), 鈥�Statues Also Die: Ethnophilosophy and African Art(s)鈥�
• University of Edinburgh (May 2015), 'Belgium's "Colonial Library: Past and Present Perspectives'
• University of Oxford (December 2014), 'Les Statues meurent aussi: The Death and After-Death of African Art'

Dissemination of research - conferences/seminars

May 2016, 鈥楾ranslating African Thought and Literature鈥�, Institute of Advanced Studies, University of 糖心TV

October 2006, [with Nathalie Aubert] 鈥楩rom Art Nouveau to Surrealism鈥�, 2-day international conference, Maison fran莽aise of Oxford and 'La Belgique entre deux si猫cles: laboratoire de la modernit茅 (1880-1914)鈥�, Maison Fran莽aise, Oxford, January 2004, both events funded by the British Academy

Professional associations

• I was a member of the Executive Committee of the Society for Francophone Postcolonial Studies (SFPS) and the Association Pour l'Etude des Litt茅ratures Africaines (APELA).
• I was joint Editor of 脡tudes Litt茅raires Africaine (ELA).

Qualifications

BA, MA, Dipl么me d'aptitude p茅dagogique (Brussels), PhD (Nottingham)