I completed my BA in Medieval and Modern Languages (German and Russian) and my MSt in Slavonic Studies at St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford, during which I became interested in the post-Socialist nation-building stage of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), primarily in relation to Russia. My DPhil project focuses on femininity as a strategy for post-Socialist nation-branding at the ESC, and treats gender as a theme of the contest as fundamental rather than incidental. I aim to examine the broader Eurovision arc of selection to reception and beyond, rather than just the ESC itself in isolation, and thus more holistically explore the close connections between democracy, nationalism, and participation in the contest.

My research interests more broadly include sexuality and gender studies, folk and protest music, nationalism, stand-up comedy and performance (especially their intersections with immigration, otherness, and integration), and fibre arts and their place as a cultural and counter-cultural force.

Outside of academia, I am a stand-up comedian, and have performed in Germany and the US, as well as receiving an award nomination for my debut hour, Burgarmeister. I am particularly interested in using the skills I have learnt through stand-up to make my academic work more accessible.

(she/her)

Conference papers

• 'An inclusive EUtopia? Folk, images of identity, and diversity on the Eurovision stage' — Vaughan Williams Memorial Library Conference: Diversity in Folk (2021)