Centre Directors
Dr Ellie Byrne
Ellie is a Senior Lecturer in Postcolonial and Contemporary Literature. Her research covers feminist ecocritical theory, postcolonial theory, intersectionality and queer theory in contemporary literature and visual culture. Her co-edited collection with Alex J. Calder, Ali Smith: Critical Essays, will be published by Routledge in 2026.
Key Publications
- Byrne, E. (2024) ‘The Fifth Season: Queer Hosts and the Covid-19 pandemic in Ali Smith’s Summer and Companion Piece’, Minnesota Review.
- Byrne, E. (2024) ‘Called Back: Reading Backwards in Ali Smith.” Scottish Literary Review, 16(1), p. 23-43. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/slr.2024.a930910.
- Byrne, E., Leonard, P. and Connell, L. (eds) (2021)Parallax, Troubling Globalisation: New approaches in Arts and Humanities, 27(1).
- Byrne, E. (2020) ‘The Pursuit of Happiness in Nicola Barker’s H(A)PPY, or what a difference an A makes,’ in Gylphi Contemporary Writers: Critical Essays on Nicola Barker’s Fiction, ed. Schoene, B.
- Barber, F. and Byrne, E. (eds) (2020) ‘Brexit Wounds: Arts and Humanities Responses to Leaving the EU’, Special Issue Open Arts Journal, 8. http://dx.doi.org/10.5456/issn.2050-3679/2020s00
- Byrne, E. and Schoene, B. Schoene (eds) (2013) ‘Cosmopolitanism as Critical and Creative Practice’, Special Issue Open Arts Journal, 1. https://openartsjournal.org/issue-1/2013s01ebbs/
- Byrne, E. (2009) Homi K. Bhabha. Palgrave.
- Byrne, E. (1999) Deconstructing Disney. Pluto.
Current Projects
- Researching representations of, and formal experimentation with, notions of ‘Queer Hospitality’ in contemporary literature and film.
Dr Sarah Ilott
Sarah is a Senior Lecturer in English and Film. Her research explores the intersections of anti/racist politics, national identity, and popular culture, with particular expertise in comedy and the gothic. Her next book, Multicultural British Screen Comedy: Race, Racism, and Antiracism, will be published by Palgrave in 2026.
Key Publications
- Davies, H. and Ilott, S. (eds) (2018) Comedy and the Politics of Representation: Mocking the Weak. Palgrave. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-90506-8
- Davies, H. and Ilott, S. (eds) (2018) ‘Gender, Sexuality and the Body in Comedy: Performance, Reiteration, Resistance’, Special Edition of Comedy Studies, 9(1). https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rcos20/9/1?nav=tocList
- Ilott, S., Mendes, A.C. and Newns, L. (eds) (2018) New Directions in Diaspora Studies: Cultural and Literary Approaches. Rowman & Littlefield. https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/new-directions-in-diaspora-studies-9781786605160/
- Ilott, S. (2015) New Postcolonial British Genres: Shifting the Boundaries. Palgrave. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-90506-8
Current Projects
- Special edition of the Comedy Studies journal on ‘Comedy and Racial (In)Justice’ https://think.taylorandfrancis.com/special_issues/comedy-and-racial-injustice/
Centre Members
Dr Blanka Grzegorczyk
Blanka works at the intersections of literature, the arts, creative writing, education, philosophy, and politics. She is especially interested in postcolonial intersectionality (with ecocriticism, feminism, and posthumanism, among others), modern and contemporary literatures, and writing for, by, and about the young, together with global communities and childhoods.
Key Publications
- Grzegorczyk, B. (2026) Reading Across Worlds: Postcolonial Intersectionality in Contemporary Children’s Literature. Routledge.
- Grzegorczyk, B. (2020). Terror and Counter-Terror in Contemporary British Children’s Literature. Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Terror-and-Counter-Terror-in-Contemporary-British-Childrens-Literature/Grzegorczyk/p/book/9781032235981
- Grzegorczyk, B. (2015). Discourses of Postcolonialism in Contemporary British Children’s Literature. Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Discourses-of-Postcolonialism-in-Contemporary-British-Childrens-Literature/Grzegorczyk/p/book/9781138547414
Current Projects
- Humanities for Sustainability: Visions of the Future in Contemporary Postcolonial Environmental Literature
- The Pursuits of Goodness in Literary Analysis and Awards: Reimagining the Empowerment of Young Writers, Critics, and Judges
Dr Muzna Rahman
Muzna is a Senior Lecturer of English. Her research focuses primarily on contemporary Postcolonial writing and film, and more specifically how this intersects with the interdisciplinary field of Food Studies. Her other research and teaching interests include contemporary American Literature and Media, Popular Culture, Critical Race Studies, Feminism and Eco-criticism.
Key Publications
- Rahman, M. (2024) Hunger and Postcolonial Writing. Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Hunger-and-Postcolonial-Writing/Rahman/p/book/9781032221403
- Rahman, M. (2024) ‘Indigestible performances: women, punk, and the limits of British multiculturalism in Nida Mazoor’s We Are Lady Parts.’ Journal of Postcolonial Writing, 60(2) pp. 199-214. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17449855.2024.2361148
- Rahman, M. (2020) ‘Consuming Brexit: alimentary discourses and the racial politics of Brexit.’ The Open Arts Journal, (8) pp. 71-82. https://openartsjournal.org/issue-8/article-5/
Current Projects
- Contemporary beauty standards and the female body in contemporary body horror film.
Professor Minoli Salgado
Minoli works at the intersection of postcolonial, testimony and trauma studies and is especially interested in aestheticized testimony and the way displacement impacts in these fields. She runs a programme on ethical witnessing and storytelling in Sri Lanka for journalists, writers and researchers and also writes fiction and poetry.
Key Publications
- Salgado, M. (2025) Witness Literature: Culture, Memory and Contested Truths. Bloomsbury Academic. https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/witness-literature-9781350318854/
- Salgado, M. (2022) Twelve Cries from Home: In Search of Sri Lanka’s Disappeared. Repeater. https://repeaterbooks.com/product/twelve-cries-from-home-in-search-of-sri-lankas-disappeared/
- Salgado, M. (2014) A Little Dust on the Eyes. Peepal Tree. https://www.peepaltreepress.com/books/little-dust-eyes
Current Projects
- Embedding Ethical Witnessing and Storytelling in Victim-Survivor Narratives from the Sri Lankan Civil War https://www.ices.lk/event-details/ethical-witnessing-and-storytelling-workshops-1