Talks
Upcoming
University College Cork, Cork, Ireland: Bookends Conference Keynote Speaker
Past Talks
2020
University College Cork, Cork, Ireland: Digital Humanities Transcribathon
“#DouglassDay: Frederick Douglass in Ireland”
2019
University College Cork, Cork, Ireland: Irish Association of American Studies Annual PG Conference:
“Inception, Evolution, Completion: Navigating PhD Research in American Studies” (invited)
Galway University, Galway, Ireland: ISS Film Conference (Irish Screen Studies Symposium)
(Mis)Representing Women in Nate Parker’s The Birth of a Nation (2016)
University College Cork, Cork, Ireland: Bookends Conference 2019
Round Table Discussion: “The PhD Journey” (invited)
Expert Panel: “African-American Literary Theory and Signifyin(g)” (invited)
2018
The American College of Greece (DEREE), Athens, Greece; The Hellenic Association for American Studies (HELAAS): HELAAS YOUNG SCHOLARS SYMPOSIUM
“American Studies in Europe: The Future of American Studies in Europe”
Queen's College Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK: ISS Film Conference (Irish Screen Studies Symposium): Nate Parker’s The Birth of a Nation: Signifyin(g) and the Representation of African Americans in Cinematic Slave Narratives
University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland: IAAS Annual Conference 2018: (Mis)representation of Black Women in Nate Parker’s The Birth of a Nation
University College Cork, Cork, Ireland: Bookends Conference: Americanist Roundtable – “Great ‘Again’: Dreams of Decline”
PCA/ACA Conference 2018, Indianapolis, USA: “The Same Old Story? Signifyin(g) and the Representation of African Americans in Cinematic Slave Narratives”
King's College London, UK: EBAAS Conference 2018: Panel Discussion – “American Studies in Europe: The Experience of Postgraduate Students and Early Career Researchers”
University College Cork, Ireland: Film and Screen Media Film Forum: “A PhD in Film Studies: A Change of Perspective”
2017
Trinity College Dublin, Ireland: IAAS PG Conference 2017
Maynooth University, Maynooth, Ireland: New Perspectives: Postgraduate Symposium on the Humanities
“From Griffith to Parker: The Birth of a Rebellion?”
The National Maritime Museum, London, UK: The Historical Fictions Research Network Conference London
“Visual Art and the Fictive Narrative: The Fictional Dimensions of Cinematic Slave Narratives”
2016
The Everyman Theatre, Cork City, Ireland: The Cork Film Festival
The Birth of a Nation 2016 Panel Discussion: Caroline Schroeter (University College Cork) with Dr Tony Tracy (The Huston School of Film & Digital Media, NUI Galway) and Hugh Travers (2016 Arts Council / University College Cork Film Artist in Residence), and Dr Gwenda Young (co-Head of Film and Screen Media at UCC).
University of Heidelberg, HCA, Heidelberg, Germany: Waking Up to Reality - America's Struggle to Realize the Promised Land
“Why We Should Use Cinematic Slave Narratives in the Classroom”
University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland: Limerick Postgraduate Research Conference
“How and Why Cinema Can Help with Education in the Context of Racism”
University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland: UCD English Graduate Society Conference
“Cinema and Education: Why we should teach Cinematic Slave Narratives”
University College Cork, Cork, Ireland: Bookends Conference
“Cinema and Education and the Power of Cinematic Slave Narratives”
University College Cork, Cork, Ireland: CACSSS PhD Induction Day: “The PhD Journey: A Rollercoaster, a Blessing and a Curse”
2015
University College Cork, Cork, Ireland: CACSSS Postgraduate Research Conference
“The Media(tisa)tion of the Slave Experience – Prosperity or Perdition?”
2011
NAAAS, Baton Rouge, LA, USA: National Association of African American Studies and Affiliates and Affiliates - 20th Annual Conference
“Gendered Language in 19th century Slave Narratives in North America”
Clark University, Worcester, MA, USA: Colloquium of the English Department
“The Multiplicity and the Slave Experience: Worcester Slave Narratives and Gender”
2009
University Trier, Trier, Germany: “Motorcycle: Beschleunigung und Rebellion?” (“Acceleration and Rebellion?”)
Moderator at the Exhibition curated by the TCAS (Trier Center for American Studies) at the “Europäische Kunst Akademie”, Trier, Germany
Talk at the HCA in Heidelberg, Germany
Here, I explored the current media landscape and cultural consciousness regarding North American racism and its slavery past. I demonstrated how the mediatisation of the slave experience (e.g. Django Unchained, 12 Years a Slave, The Birth of a Nation (2016)) has not only left an indelible mark on the slave narrative genre’s role in society’s educational process, but that it also serves to reconcile deeply rooted cultural differences between people. My presentation aimed to raise awareness about the lived experience and legacy of slavery and to help steer the process of comprehending its many social consequences.
Talk at the HFRN Conference in London, UK
This presentation demonstrated that cinematic slave narratives are part of the process of bridging the gap between the “true” and a fictional account of our historical past. I showed that they provide an opportunity for conversation about how the legacy of slavery influences racism today and are intended to promote action, healing and systemic change for a nation whose presidential elections are surrounded by debates about xenophobia and racism. Moreover, I discussed how this kind of historical fiction is particularly powerful in reimagining and influencing internal and external views of history. These narratives do not necessarily aim to be historically accurate but to transport an essential message to the audience: to inform about the abhorrence of slavery and to raise awareness about its legacy.