Danielle C Skeehan
My research focuses on American and transatlantic literature of the long eighteenth century. I take a broad view of what we mean when we say “American literature,” questioning both the geographic confines of the “Americas” as well as what constitutes “literary” production. For instance, the goal of my current book project, The Fabric of Early Atlantic Letters, is to think about the different media people used to communicate, tell stories, and negotiate relationships with others. Images, songs, and material artifacts—in addition to the written word—have the capacity to incorporate their makers and users into social worlds.
In my teaching I am also committed to reading literature in its transnational and global contexts, and I regularly seek to expand the traditional parameters of the literature classroom. Through visits to the archive, we consider texts in their original form and, moving beyond text, we think about how we may read a variety of early Atlantic objects and aesthetics, ranging from women's needlework and woven baskets to sea shanties and soundscapes.
Teaching interests include: Atlantic literature to 1900; gender and sexuality; material culture; book history; media studies.
Education
- BA, Boston University, 2003
- MA, Mills College, 2006
- PhD, Northeastern University, 2013
Source: Oberlin College and Conservatory
Books by Author
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