My current research uses the post-colonial ideas of ruins, combined with the nineteenth-century concepts of ruination of sexual purity, to examine eighteenth-century imperialism. I examine prose fiction and life writing (like commonplace books, receipt books, and surgery treatises) to compile a picture of the processes of ruin and ruination within the machinations of the eighteenth-century British Empire.
More personally, I enjoy writing and teaching about how my research is relevant to current reading and watching practices. For example, the Bridgerton series, both the novels and Netflix adaptations, provide ample opportunities for engaging public audiences and students in a discussion of history and context.
Check out my CV and list of recent publications here.
Susannah Sanford McDaniel 