杏吧原创

Biography

When I joined 杏吧原创’s French Department in 2003, I felt like I was coming home in more ways than one. While Ottawa is my hometown, I also obtained two of my degrees at 杏吧原创. I was at 杏吧原创 in the late 80s, studying for a degree in Journalism with a minor in French. I went on to work at CBC Radio in 蚕耻茅产别肠 City for a few years before coming back to 杏吧原创 to study for a Master’s degree in French. My M.A. thesis examined how humour is created in the famous comic book series, Ast茅rix le Gaulois . As a Ph.D. student in French at the University of Toronto, I wrote a dissertation on the tower of Babel myth in contemporary francophone literature. Since then, I spent a few years living in Switzerland and I taught French literature (sneaking in a few Qu茅b茅cois novels into my courses when possible!) at the University of Limerick in Ireland.

Shortly after coming back to 杏吧原创, I founded the Centre for Transnational Cultural Analysis (CTCA) with two other colleagues, Sarah Casteel who is in the English Department, and Ming Tiampo in Art History. Together, we seek to create a network of scholars who share common interests and to stimulate research and debate on transnational objects of study.

My current research interests focus on transcultural writing in France and 蚕耻茅产别肠 as well as migrant writing in 蚕耻茅产别肠 and Canada.

Research Interests

• contemporary Qu茅b茅cois literature with an emphasis on “茅criture migrante” and transnational writing
• the works of Monique Bosco
• francophone literature
• transcultural writing
• plurilingualism
• the Tower of Babel in contemporary literature
• Literature and math in francophone literature

Recent Publications

Translation of听Baldwin, Styron, and Me听by M茅likah Abdelmoumen. Biblioasis, 2025. Finalist for the John-Glassco Prize for translation. (French to English)

Co-editor, with Karin Schwerdtner and Tara Collington.听Travers茅es et franchissements de fronti猫res. Hommage 脿 Janet M. Paterson.听脡ditions David, 2025.听听

Books

Tours et detours: Le mythe de Babel dans la litt茅rature contemporaine. Ottawa: Presses de l鈥橴niversit茅 d鈥橭ttawa, 2012.

Marie Carri猫re et Catherine Khordoc, eds. Comparing Migration: The Literatures of Canada and 蚕耻茅产别肠 / Migrance compar茅e: Les Litt茅ratures du Canada et du 蚕耻茅产别肠. Bern: Peter Lang, 2008.

Special Journal Issues

Co-editor of special issue of Nouvelles 茅tudes francophones. 芦听Les pratiques scripturales de la migrance litt茅raire.听禄 (with Marianne Bessy) 27.2 (Printemps 2012).

Chapters in edited books

(with Marie Carri猫re) 鈥淔or Better or for Worse: Revisiting 茅criture migrante in 蚕耻茅产别肠.听禄 The Oxford Handbook of Canadian Literature. Cynthia Sugars,New York听: Oxford University Press, 2015. 621-638.

鈥淰ers une reterritorialisation de la tour de Babel. Deux exemples tir茅s de la literature qu茅b茅coise.鈥� D茅territorialisation: Effet de mode ou concept pertinent? Christiane Albert et Abel Kouvouama, eds. Pau, France: Presses de l鈥橴niversit茅 de Pau et des pays de l鈥橝dour, 2013. 97-106.

鈥淐onstructions am茅ricaines de la tour de Babel dans la litt茅rature contemporaine.鈥� La tour de Babel. Arras: Artois Presses Universit茅, Collection 鈥淕raph猫鈥�, no 21, 163-175.

鈥淟e camouflage autobiographique dans 尝鈥檃濒驳补谤补产颈别 de Jorge Sempr煤n.鈥� Les听 R茅茅crivains: Enjeux transtextuels dans la litt茅rature moderne d鈥檈xpression听 蹿谤补苍莽补颈蝉别. Patrick Bergeron et Marie Carri猫re, eds. Bern: Peter Lang, 2011. 121-37.

鈥淟ooking Beyond the Elephant: The Mexican Connection in Francine No毛l鈥檚 La Conjuration des b芒tards鈥�, Canada and Its Americas. Winfried Siemerling and Sarah Casteel, eds. Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen鈥檚 University Press, 2010. 231-245.

with Marie Carri猫re, 鈥淚ntroduction.鈥� Comparing Migration: The Literatures of Canada and 蚕耻茅产别肠 / Migrance compar茅e: Les Litt茅ratures du Canada et du 蚕耻茅产别肠. Marie Carri猫re and Catherine Khordoc, eds. Bern: Peter Lang, 2008.1-16.

Articles in refereed journals

鈥淔rom Migrant to Transnational: Contemporary Qu茅b茅cois Literature.鈥� 蚕耻茅产别肠 Studies, 63 (Spring 2017): 77-96.

鈥淭raversing Traversing the Borders of 脡criture Migrante 鈥揟ransnational Writing in 蚕耻茅产别肠.鈥� CLCWeb听: Comparative Literature and Culture, 18.4, December 2016.

鈥淚ntroduction: Plaidoyer pour l鈥檃nalyse des pratiques scripturales de la migrance dans les litt茅ratures contemporaines en fran莽ais. 鈥澨�Nouvelles 茅tudes francophones (Special issue edited by Marianne Bessy and Catherine Khordoc, 芦听Les pratiques scripturales de la migrance litt茅raire听禄) vol 27 n^o 1 (2012): 1-18.

鈥淭he Anti-Tower of Babel: A Critique of Multiculturalism in Ainsi parle la tour CN by H茅di Bouraoui.鈥� TransCanadiana: Polish Journal of Canadian Studies. Vol 2 (2009): 51-65.

鈥淥ublier le pass茅 ou inventer la vie : Autobiographie et fiction, m茅moire et oubli dans l鈥櫯搖vre de Monique Bosco.鈥� Nouvelles 茅tudes francophones. vol 24 n^o 2 (Automne 2009)听: 145-155.

Recent Graduate Supervisions

• Johnny Alam, Ph.D. dissertation in Cultural Mediations, Institute for Comparative Study in Literature, Art and Culture,鈥淢aking or Breaking Nations: Traveling Memory in Contemporary Art and Photography: History, Commemoration, Nostalgia, and Humanitarian Interventions,鈥� defended April 2017.
• Joana Pimentel, Ph.D. dissertation in Cultural Mediations, Institute for Comparative Study in Literature, Art and Culture, 鈥淭ranscultural Bodies: a 鈥楳inor鈥� Approach to Postcolonial Female Writing,鈥� (2011 – )
• M茅lanie Martin, 鈥淎rtistes rebelles: La r茅volte de la danseuse dans trois roman contemporains,鈥� (2011-13)
• Anna Brousseau, 鈥淟e pouvoir du silence dans les romans de Marie-C茅lie Agnant,鈥� (2010-12)
• Emily Hazlett, School of Canadian Studies, 鈥淩edefining Excellence: 鈥楥anadian-ness,鈥� Cultural Values and Canada Reads,鈥� (2010-11)
• Morgan Faulkner. 鈥淟angue et m茅moire:听le plurilinguisme dans La femme aux pieds nus de Scholastique Mukasonga,鈥� (2008-10)
• Rebecca Hammond, School of Canadian Studies: 鈥淐anadian Fiction: A Forum in Which the Voiceless Begin to Speak鈥� (2007-08)
• Laura Grace Conlon, L’emprisonnement dans deux romans d’Andre茂 Makine (2005-06)

Conference

鈥淟e th茅芒tre peut-il retirer le couteau plant茅 dans la gorge? Le th茅芒tre engag茅 de Wajdi Mouawad,鈥澨齀nternational conference at the University of Aveiro, Portugal, 芦听Writing, taking action, resisting: reconfigurations of literary engagement,鈥� November 2025.

Events

Ottawa Writers Festival / Library and Archives Canada / Ottawa听Public听Library

Discussion with M茅likah Abdelmoumen and Catherine Khordoc around the听translation听of听Baldwin, Styron and Me.听May 2025.