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Dr Charlotte Baker
Lecturer in French Studies
Degree: BA Hons (Lancaster), MA (Nottingham), PhD (Nottingham)
Associated research centres and groups: African Studies Group, Centre for Transcultural Writing and Research, Dynamics of Memories
Current Teaching
FREN 100/101: French Culture and Society
DELC 211: Understanding Culture
DELC 213: The Writer and the Text in 20th Century World Literatures
FREN 233: Shaping Contemporary France: Culture, Politics and the Legacy of History
FREN 301: Final Year Advanced French Language
DELC 345: Francophone Voices: Literature and Film from sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean and Canada
Research Interests
I am interested in contemporary French fiction, Francophone and Anglophone writing from sub-Saharan Africa, and recent developments in the field of postcolonial theory. My research focuses on representations of marginalised and stigmatised groups in sub-Saharan Africa, theories and representations of disability, as well as comparative and interdisciplinary approaches to the body and identity.
I am particularly interested in the realities and representations of the genetic condition albinism and recently published an article on the trope of albinism in the work of Guinean writer Williams Sassine in the International Journal of Francophone Studies. I also recently completed a study guide to Williams Sassine's novel Saint Monsieur Baly (Glasgow French and German Publications, 2010), and a monograph Enduring Negativity: Representations of Albinism in theNovels ofDidier Destremau, Patrick Grainville and Williams Sassine (Peter Lang, 2011).
Potential Doctoral Proposals
I welcome doctoral proposals which engage with aspects of the following : Twentieth century French literature; Francophone African fictional writing; postcolonial theory; the body and identity; representations of marginalised and stigmatised groups in Africa; representations of disability, madness and monstrosity. Proposals may take a comparative or interdisciplinary approach, or may focus on the literature of particular countries.
I am currently co-supervising a PhD thesis 'Contemporary Congolese Literature as Witness' with Professor Tim Matthews (University College London).
Research Grants Awarded
1 December 2010 - Yves Hervouet Fund for Anglo-French Relations. £850 to fund 'Minorites en vue', a colloquium to be held at Lancaster on 6 May 2011.
1 February 2010 - Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Travel Grant, Lancaster University. £450 for participation in Metissages/Cultural Exchanges conference at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, 18-19 February 2010.
22 January 2009 - Lancaster University Small Grants Scheme. £4,120 for a pilot study 'Albinism in Apartheid South Africa'
15 January 2009 - Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Travel Grant, Lancaster University. £650 for participation in the African Literature Association Conference, Vermont, USA
Membership of Associations
Society for Francophone Postcolonial Studies (Executive Committee member)
African Literature Association
African Studies Association UK
Royal African Society
Society for French Studies
British Comparative Literature Association
Eprints Publications Repository and Bibliographic Database
Charlotte Baker has 14 selected publication records listed on this webpage. Use links to access abstracts and full text where available. View all records to sort by date, type and title. For all ePrints records go to http://eprints.lancs.ac.uk
Baker, Charlotte (2010) Sassine 'Saint Monsieur Baly'. Other. Glasgow French and German Publications, Glasgow.
Baker, Charlotte (2010) "Être albinos": The Trope of Albinism in Williams Sassine’s Wirriyamu and Mémoire d’une peau. International Journal of Francophone Studies, 13 (1). pp. 9-22.
Baker, Charlotte (2010) For a minute, their sense of the ways of the world was ruptured. Just by looking : The Black African Albino in the Novels of Didier Destremau, Patrick Grainville and Williams Sassine. In: Guilt and Shame: Essays in French Literature, Thought and Visual Culture. Modern French identities (79). Peter Lang, Oxford, pp. 201-214. ISBN 9783039115631 3039115634
Baker, Charlotte (2009) Expressions of the body : representations in African text and image. Peter Lang, Oxford. ISBN 978-3-03911-546-4
Baker, Charlotte (2009) My Sole Reality, My Only Refuge, My Unique Prison: The Body of the Black African Albino in Williams Sassine’s Mémoire d’une peau. In: Crossing Cultural Boundaries: Taboo, Bodies and Identities. Cambridge Scholars, Newcastle, pp. 117-130. ISBN 9781443812344 144381234X
Baker, Charlotte (2008) Postcolonial slavery : an overview of colonialism's legacy. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle. ISBN 9781443801034
Baker, Charlotte (2008) Writing over the illness : the symbolic representation of albinism. In: Social Studies of Health, Illness and Disease: Perspectives from the Social Sciences and Humanities. Rodopi, Amsterdam, pp. 115-128. ISBN 9042024054
Baker, Charlotte (2007) 'Francophone African and Maghreb Literature 2006' The Year's Work in Modern Language Studies Volume 69. Maney Publishing for the MHRA.
Baker, Charlotte (2007) A constantly shifting identity : the problematic nature of the albino body. In: Bodies of Thought. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle, pp. 71-83. ISBN 9781847181626
Baker, Charlotte (2007) Crossing places : new research in African studies. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle. ISBN 9781847180964
Other Interests and Hobbies
My interests include reading, travel, music, fell walking, horse riding and going to the gym. I enjoy the outdoors and spending time with friends.
Associated Keywords: African Literature, Albinism, Colonialism, Disability studies, Embodiment, French, Identity, Interdisciplinary collaboration, Literary and cultural theory, Literature, Postcolonial literature, Postcolonial theory, Race, Representation, Subjectivity, The body, Twentieth-century literature
View all research activities, ePrints, news and events associated with Charlotte Baker.
Contact Details
Tel: +44 (0)1524 592661
Room: Bowland North, B46
Office Hour: Monday 10-11