Sarah Dorward

RESEARCH INTERESTS:
Canadian literature; history of the book in Canada; bibliographical studies; decolonial studies

CURRENT RESEARCH:
My current project examines how the publication of late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century Canadian literature exceeds the boundaries of nation. It posits that early-Canadian authors and their texts, which have been circumscribed a false sense of  “Canadianness” are in fact products of globalization and transnationalism due to their publication and consumption in international English-literature markets. With this research, I hope to contribute to current movements to deconstruct and unsettle the organicity of Canadian cultural nationalism and its products through advocating for the globalized status of popular authors publishing in this period. I hope contribute to ongoing efforts to dismantle institutionalized and canonized conceptions of a “pure” Canadian and literature. By analyzing the restrictive and feeble publishing industry in Canada during this time, and the pursuit of international publishing opportunities by early-Canadian authors, my research explores how “Canadianness” as a cultural concept was marketed, performed, and conceived for achieving success in an international marketplace.

CONFERENCES:
– (Forthcoming): “Displacement, Disruption, and the Emotional Apocalypse in Sarah Meehan Sirk’s ‘Moonman.’” ACCUTE, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB. May 2021.
– “The Presentation and Reception of James De Mille’s A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder. The Bibliographical Society of Canada, University of Regina, Regina, SK. May 2018.
– “Unnatural Nature and the Sincere Self: Space, Place, and the Value of Identity in the Narrative Ecopoetry of Karen Solie.” Rethinking Nature: Literary Studies in an Age of Ecological Crisis (Graduate Conference), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON. March 2018.
– “Technology and Emotion: Accessing the Sentimental Side in Pat Forde’s 9/11 Novella In Spirit.” English Honours Colloquium, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK. February 2017.

PUBLICATIONS:
– (Forthcoming): (Review) Performing Turtle Island: Indigenous Theatre on the World Stage, edited by Jesse Rae Archibald-Barber, Kathleen Irwin, and Moira J. Day. Engaged Scholar Journal: Community-Engaged Research, Teaching, and Learning (September 2021)

AWARDS:
– Graduate Teaching Fellowship, University of Saskatchewan (2017-2018)
– M.J. Caldwell Prize in Canadian Affairs, University of Saskatchewan (2017)
– Yuans Award in Canadian Literature, University of Saskatchewan