Program

Meet Our Keynote Speakers

We are honored to welcome three distinguished scholars whose work has significantly shaped contemporary Gothic Studies and related fields: Karen E. Macfarlane, Carol Margaret Davison, and Anna Reid. Their research brings together diverse perspectives—from cultural and gender studies to EcoGothic and posthumanism—offering a rich and interdisciplinary framework for exploring the theme of this year’s conference, (Un)natural Horror: Eco, Bio, and Techno Encounters in Gothic Landscapes.

Dr. Karen E. Macfarlane, Professor of English at Mount Saint Vincent University and former president of the International Gothic Association, is a leading voice in Gothic Studies. Her work examines the enduring presence of monsters across time, from reanimated mummies and zombies to posthuman bodies and haunted spaces. Through these figures, she explores how the Gothic continues to shape cultural anxieties, technological imaginaries, and the boundaries of the human.

Dr. Carol Margaret Davison, Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Windsor, brings a powerful interdisciplinary approach to Gothic Studies. Her research spans cultural teratology, thanatology, Victorian Gothic, and the politics of the reproductive body. By engaging questions of identity, ideology, and embodiment, her work offers critical insights into how the Gothic interrogates social norms and structures of power.

Dr. Anna Reid, Lecturer in Hispanic Studies at the Autonomous University of the State of Morelos and part-time lecturer at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, contributes a transnational perspective to the field. Her research bridges EcoGothic, Latin American Gothic, and classical literary traditions, addressing themes such as colonialism, hybridity, and vampirism. Her work highlights the ways in which Gothic narratives illuminate cultural landscapes shaped by historical and environmental tensions.

Together, our keynote speakers offer a compelling intellectual foundation for the conversations that will unfold throughout the conference. Their contributions invite us to reflect on the Gothic as a dynamic mode of inquiry—one that continues to engage with the most pressing ecological, technological, and cultural concerns of our time.