Projects per year
Personal profile
Personal Statement
I am a specialist in French and Francophone Studies with expertise in 20th and 21st Century literature, Gender Studies and Medical Humanities. My work across these fields focuses particularly on women’s writing and my current research centres around illness narratives and creative practices.
My interdisciplinary profile means that I teach and supervise research projects across subjects within the Department of Humanities, including in Modern Languages, Gender Studies, English and History.
Research Interests
I am a specialist in French and Francophone Studies with expertise in 20th and 21st Century literature, Gender Studies and Medical Humanities. I have published extensively on a range of French and Francophone women authors, with an increasing focus on illness narratives and creative practices. I am also interested in issues surrounding cultural identities in Francophone countries.
The interdisciplinary nature of my research leads to regular collaboration on projects. I work with artist and writer Lou Sarabadzic on my current Carnegie Trust funded ‘Reframing the HPV Narrative’ and co-organised the Women in French UK-Ireland international conference in May 2023 with Dr Véronique Desnain (University of Edinburgh). In 2018, I worked with Historian Dr Jacqueline Jenkinson (University of Stirling) as part of a Royal Society of Edinburgh funded project looking into the lives of Belgian refugees in the West of Scotland during World War 1 and, in particular, into women’s health during their time in exile from Belgium. In 2016, I collaborated with Dr Beatriz Caballero-Rodriguez on the Trauma and Gender in 20th Century European Literature project was funded by the Wellcome Trust and led to the organisation of an international conference.
I am sitting on the committees for Women in French UK-Ireland and the Association Européenne d’Etudes Francophones. I am an Honorary Fellow in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures at the University of Edinburgh where I contribute to the activities of the Centre de Recherches Francophones Belges. I am a member of Strathclyde University Feminist Research Network and of the Centre for the Social History of Health and Healthcare (CSHHH) research groups at the University of Strathclyde.
Expertise & Capabilities
I welcome MRes/MPhil/PhD applications in any of these areas:
Contemporary French and Francophone Literature
- Medical Humanities
- Writing Illness and the Body
- Gender and illness
- Contemporary Women's Writing
- Belgian literature and culture
- Gender and Cultural Identity
- Feminism in France and Belgium
I currently supervise the following students and projects:
- Hanane Benchama – PhD: Examination between Victimhood and Resistance: Algerian Women in the Literature and Film of The Black Decade
- Emma Flynn – PhD: Comparative analysis of the representation of sexual violence and primarily, its relationship to survival and death in French and English women's literature.
- Esther Uwandu – PhD: Gender and Feminism: an Interrogation of migrants experiences in contemporary African feminist novels.
Past students:
- Francesca Masciullo - AHRC-funded MRes: 'Denied and Disowned Motherhood in the works of Dacia Maraini and Annie Ernaux'
Teaching Interests
I teach across the French and Gender Studies programme. I am the class co-ordinator for 'Writing the Body in Contemporary French and Francophone Literature' (R1395/R1499), for the French Honours Dissertation (R1498) and for French Culure and Hisotry 2 and 3 (R1215/R1315)
I currently teach the following classes:
P3974: Feminisms: Continuity and Change
R1215/R1315 French Culture and History 2 & 3
R1395/R1499 Writing the Body in Contemporary French and Francophone Literature
R1498 French Dissertation
R1509 French Honours Spoken Language
R1510 French Honours Written Language
I supervise undergraduate dissertations and postgraduate projects on a variety of topics linked to my research and teaching interests.
I have been nominated for Strathclyde Teaching Excellence Awards every year since 2011; I was shortlisted for the 'Most Supportive Teacher' Award in 2017 and for 'Best in HaSS', 'Most Innovative' and 'Best Overall Teacher' Awards in 2018.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Education/Academic qualification
Doctor of Philosophy, A Study of the Novels of Elisa Brune, UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE
Award Date: 1 Jan 2012
External positions
External Examiner for French, GLASGOW CALEDONIAN UNIVERISTY
20 Feb 2022 → …
External Peer Reviewer, Edinburgh Napier University
15 Aug 2015 → …
Honorary Fellow - Centre de recherches francophones belges - School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, The University of Edinburgh
1 Mar 2013 → …
Keywords
- Belgian literature
- Feminism
- Identity
- Francophone Literature
- Women's Writing
- Belgian History
- Trauma
- Exile
- refugees
- Body image
- Medical Humanities
- pathographies
- Health
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- 1 Similar Profiles
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 7 Finished
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Belgitude and Feminism: Intersection and Impact.
Verdier, C. (Principal Investigator)
6/01/20 → 6/01/21
Project: Research
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Reframing the HPV Narrative
Verdier, C. (Principal Investigator)
Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland
6/01/20 → 15/12/23
Project: Research
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L’Avortement chez les autrices d’expression française
Carlini Versini, D. & Verdier, C., 12 Nov 2024, In: L'esprit créateur. 64, 3, p. 1-8 8 p.Translated title of the contribution :Abortion among French-speaking authors Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile21 Downloads (Pure) -
Abortion in contemporary Francophone women's writing
Verdier, C. (Editor) & Carlini-Versini, D. (Editor), 5 Nov 2024, In: L'esprit créateur. 64, 3Research output: Contribution to journal › Special issue › peer-review
Prizes
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Category Winner for Healthy Society - Images of Research 2023: Hope for Humanity
Verdier, C. (Recipient), 2 May 2023
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
Verdier, C. (Recipient), 30 Sept 2014
Prize: Fellowship awarded competitively
Activities
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Nottingham French Studies (Journal)
Verdier, C. (Guest editor), Desnain, V. (Guest editor) & Flynn, E. (Guest editor)
15 Jun 2025Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Journal or guest editorship
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Women in French UK-Ireland Biennal Conference 2025 - 'Transformations'
Verdier, C. (Speaker)
30 May 2025 → 1 Jun 2025Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in conference