Projects
VLAC Fellow cluster project "Whither Trauma Theory? Debating the Future of Literary Research on the Memory of Catastrophe" Ghent University
This collaborative research project aims to examine whether and how trauma studies can break with its monocultural and Eurocentric tendencies, which are at odds with the commitment to social justice on which the field prides itself, through the analysis of literary and cultural representations of various previously neglected traumatic histories.
The reorientation of nineteenth-century Greek prose fiction: a theoritical contribution by means of Bachtin's theory of the literary chronotope Ghent University
In line with a number of recent contributions of a historical nature, this project aims at a reorientation of 19th century Greek prose fiction from a theoretical point of view, especially Bachtin's theory of the literary chronotope. Special attention will be paid to the interaction between three text classes: the romantic novel prior to 1850, and prose fiction of a historical and realist nature thereafter.
Imaginary Voyages in Literary Worlds: from transhistorical theory to contemporary practice KU Leuven
This doctoral dissertation entails a genre study of the imaginary voyage, with a particular focus on the borders, the textual dynamics, the characteristics and the interpretation of that genre in Dutch literature from 1945 to the present day. The label ‘imaginary voyage’ (with synonyms such as ‘travel novel’ and ‘travel fiction’) refers to all fictional stories which concentrate on one or more journeys. Internationally speaking, one could ...
Narrative Estrangement and Literary Theory. The Case of Kafka's Impact on Maurice Blanchot's Fictional and Critical Work. University of Antwerp
Actresses and their Literary Networks: Reshaping the Cultural Scene in Early Modern Italy Ghent University
Professional actresses were among the few women to build wide literary networks and play an active cultural role in early modern Italy. Yet moralists commonly labelled them as ‘weavers of infernal webs’, ‘violators of spectator’s chastity’, or ‘prostitutes’, colouring critical perceptions for centuries and eclipsing their cultural achievements. This project examines the ways in which six prominent actresses in the professional theatre (now ...
Expressing Compunction: The Literary Motifs of Byzantine Katanyktic Poetry and their Religious and Scriptural Background KU Leuven
The thesis aims to study the actual influence of the Psalms on Byzantine poetry, with a special attention to penitential poems (κατανυκτικά), since this kind of poetry shares with the Psalms peculiar elements related to self-expression and contrition. The research also includes a study of Byzantine hymnography and the liturgical role played both by the Psalms and by the catanyctic hymnography in Constantinople, in particular during the Lent ...
Modal Type Theory as a Library with Applications in Effect Parametricity KU Leuven
Many variants of type theory extend a base theory with additional primitives or properties like univalence, guarded recursion or parametricity, to enable constructions or proofs that would be harder or impossible to do in the base theory. However, implementing such extended type theories (either from scratch or by modifying an existing implementation) is a big hurdle for their wider adoption. In this PhD project I am developing Sikkel, a ...
Children as change makers in a household’s sustainable food consumption. Exploring how in-store marketing interventions targeting children can affect sustainable food literacy, -attitudes and - choices in children and their parents. Ghent University
Stimulating consumers towards more sustainable food consumption (consumption activities which provide for the needs of the current generation while preserving the needs of future generations) is becoming increasingly important for governmental and academic actors and the food industry. For retailers, it can become a path to economic growth, because providing sustainable food options can lead to positive consumer responses. Reaching children ...
Evaluation of literature by professional and layperson critics: A digital and literary sociological analysis of evaluative talk of literature through the prism of literary prizes (2007-2017) Ghent University
Recently, the manager of a Dutch publishing consortium manager stated that literary quality should
be measured and predicted by means of algorithms and big data-based audience research, rather
than by experts. His claim drew ire and caused the exodus of many of established authors; at the
same time, the statement is indicative of a broader societal trend in which the knowledge of
professional 'pundits' is rivalled and ...