General Mission Statement 

Emily Anderson (Rutgers NB, English Department) and Nick Sprenger (Rutgers NB, History Department) are excited to announce the creation of a British Studies Graduate Working Group at Rutgers University. British Studies has become, over the last decade, a vibrant and capacious field. Since the imperial turn in the late 1990s and early 2000s, scholars have expanded the meaning of Britain and Britishness, pushing the boundaries of belonging. Emphasis on race and gender/sexuality have remapped the study of Britain and complicated our perceptions of how, and under what circumstances, something or someone can be British. A focus on global, transnational, comparative, and regional contexts have further imploded the traditional divides that siloed British Studies. This working group is designed to reflect the reality of the contemporary expanded definition of British Studies. The purpose of this group is to provide a forum for people working on British topics of any period or genre. It is our goal to create a stronger community of British scholars at Rutgers University. We will host meetings throughout the year where we will discuss focused readings in addition to paper workshops. We plan to invite a speaker at the end of the academic year as a capstone event for the group. 

 

Spring 2022 Programming:

This spring, the British Studies Graduate Working Group will be focusing on the semester theme "Materials of Empire." This theme captures the content of our discussions this semester, which will center around collecting, museums, and the circulation of objects of empire, and the range of methodological frameworks we’d like to explore, including thing theory, object oriented ontology (OOO), book history, and postcolonialism. As always, we are especially attuned to scholarship that troubles our collective notions of what is, or can be, Britain/British. Our meetings for the semester are:

  • Tuesday, February 8 @ 3 PM
  • Tuesday, March 1 @ 3 PM
  • Tuesday, April 19 @ 3 PM

 

Check back throughout the semester for additional event dates. All meetings in Spring 2022 will take place via Zoom. If you have any questions or would like to be added to the British Studies Working Group Canvas Site, please contact either of the co-organizers. We welcome scholars from any department or university!

Contact Info:

Emily Anderson (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Nick Sprenger (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)