About us
The Centre for French, Francophone and Comparative Studies was created in 2021 to act as a national and international hub for academic researchers. It builds on the strengths of the original centre, Birkbeck Research in Aesthetics of Kinship and Community, established in 2009, and widens the fields of investigation to French and Francophone thought, literature, history and other cultural aspects.
The comparative outlook of the new centre allows it to be open to other cultures and to involve researchers working on transnational studies. The centre welcomes all types of comparative approaches, such as between text and image, and between different artistic forms and media.
The CFFCS works closely with artists, writers and poets, philosophers, and other cultural figures outside of academia, creating a thriving and lively place of exchange for new ideas and creative practices. Events include international conferences, symposia, round-table discussions, reading groups, exhibitions, and film-screenings. These are normally free and open to the public.
Members
Director
- Dr Nathalie Wourm, Lecturer in French Studies, School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication
Steering Committee
- Dr Mari Paz Balibrea Enriquez, Reader in Spanish Cultural Studies, School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication
- Professor Joseph Brooker, Professor of Modern Literature, School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication
- Dr Damian Catani, Senior Lecturer in 19th and 20th Century French Literature and Thought, School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication
- Professor Adam Gearey, Professor of Law, Birkbeck Law School
- Professor Akane Kawakami, Professor of 20th and 21st-century French and Francophone Literature, School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication
- Dr Ann Lewis, Senior Lecturer in French Studies, School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication
Contact us
To contact us, please email Director of CFFCS, Dr Nathalie Wourm
Find us
Centre for French, Francophone and Comparative Studies
School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication
Birkbeck, University of London
43 Gordon Square
London WC1H 0PD