Renowned feminist and public intellectual Jacqueline Rose joins Birkbeck
Jacqueline Rose – known for her scholarly and feminist works – has been appointed to Birkbeck
Outspoken author and academic Jacqueline Rose – known for her scholarly and feminist works, her literary and political analyses of contemporary culture, and her focus on Israel-Palestine – has been appointed to Birkbeck. From January 2015, she will hold the position of Professor of Humanities in the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities. In that role she will be involved in the outward-facing public intellectual life of the College and will teach critical theory, literary and psychoanalytic studies at postgraduate level.
Professor Rose said: “Arriving at Birkbeck means a great deal to me as I have always admired its commitment to the idea of continuing education, and the unique profile of so many of the students it attracts. I am delighted to join the Institute of Humanities which provides a beacon for research in the humanities in such beleaguered times in higher education, and to which I will be bringing a feminist presence. Over the years I have formed the strongest intellectual collaborations with many distinguished Birkbeck scholars and thinkers whom I am now very happy to be joining as a colleague.”
Stephen Frosh, Professor of Psychosocial Studies and Pro-Vice-Master for Research at Birkbeck, said: “Jacqueline’s appointment is fantastic news for Birkbeck. She is an illustrious public intellectual and academic, the author of many books of feminist literary criticism laced with psychoanalysis and political analysis. Her influence on the intellectual scene is immense, and there is already a queue of academics and research students at Birkbeck eager to work with, and learn from, her.”
In her latest book, Women in Dark Times (Bloomsbury, 2014), Professor Rose charts the lives and influence of three remarkable women: revolutionary socialist Rosa Luxemburg, German–Jewish painter Charlotte Salomon, and film icon and consummate performer Marilyn Monroe, together with three contemporary artists and film-makers who she argues provide bold insights into our times. She also highlights violence against women, including so-called honour killings, and argues that feminism still has much to achieve. Emphasising the courage of modern feminists and how they offer hope for the future, she argues for a new language for feminism that would be in touch with the darkest aspects of the human mind.
As well as helping to shape feminist thought throughout her career, Professor Rose has been influential in many other arenas, including psychoanalysis, literary and cultural theory, and the politics, culture and literature of Israel-Palestine. Her most recent book on the topic, entitled Proust among the nations – from Dreyfus to the Middle East (Chicago University Press, 2012), explored the links between Dreyfus, Proust and Freud as a way of understanding the ongoing crisis in Israel-Palestine. Professor Rose is the co-founder of Independent Jewish Voices, which was created in 2007.
Her appointment to Birkbeck is the latest post in Professor Rose’s distinguished academic career. After reading English at Oxford University, she studied comparative literature at the Sorbonne, and carried out doctoral research on psychoanalysis and children’s fiction under the supervision of Frank Kermode at University College London. Professor Rose has held posts at Cambridge and Sussex universities, and Queen Mary, University of London, as well as lecturing world-wide in countries including India, South Africa, the United States, Australia, Austria, France and Italy.