American Literature

We research the ways in which American literature has been re-shaped and the American canon re-defined under the influence of factors such as immigration or popular culture.

Like other national literatures, American literature was shaped by the history of the country that produced it but also by transnational trends and movements. Investigating the distinctive voices and styles in American literature from the first colonial encounters between European and Native (North) American populations in the sixteenth century to the present day, we research the ways in which American literature has been re-shaped and the American canon re-defined under the influence of factors such as immigration or popular culture.

We contribute to high-level scholarship on American literature through the organization of conferences and by initiating research networks and international collaborations in specified fields of inquiry. Currently, research conducted within the section focuses on issues pertaining to transnational American studies, contemporary security cultures, representations of revolutions, visual culture, and multimodality.

Seeking to promote high-quality research, we share our passion for American literature and culture with our students. Our section is the only one in Sweden to offer a comprehensive curriculum in American literature at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Research Areas

Research in American literature includes all literature and related disciplines produced in the territory that today comprises the United States from the colonial period to the present, along with the literary production of Americans outside the United States. Areas of ongoing or recently completed research include American literature and globalization, transnational American literature, the literature and culture of neoliberalism, American literature and the security state, avant-garde poetry and poetry criticism since World War II, New American Cinema, punk rock, and archipelagic American studies.

 

The PhD programme in American literature and culture is the only one of its kind in Sweden. A majority of our alumni are employed at various institutions of higher education.

  • Amelie Hurkens
  • Elliot C. Mason

Hedersdoktorer

The American Studies unit has had the honor to nominate the following international scholars who, with the support of the Department of English, received honorary doctorates from Uppsala University:

Donald Pease

In 2011, Professor Donald Pease, Dartmouth College, received an honorary doctorate from Uppsala University for his ground-breaking research in the field of American Studies.

Linda Hutcheon

A similar honor was bestowed on Professor Linda Hutcheon, University of Toronto, in 2008, for her research in literatures in English.

Ihab Hassan

Ihab Hassan In 1996 Professor Ihab Hassan received an honorary degree for his life-long contribution to the study of American literature.

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