Rowen Germain
Candidate, M.A. Public History
Degrees: | B.A. (University of Victoria) |
Email: | rowengermain@cmail.carleton.ca |
Current Program: MA in Public History (2017)
Supervisor:
Academic Interests:
Tudor/Stuart England; gender relations at court; mistresses and queens; women’s history; representation of women; historic sites; public history
Teaching Experience:
France Since 1889 (S. Whitney), Spring 2018
19th Century German History (N. Thornton), Fall 2017
Description of Research
My research project will look at Hampton Court Palace in London, England, to examine and analyze the representation of Henry VIII’s wives. I will look at various modes of their representation, including how they are described on the Historic Royal Palaces website, how they are portrayed in performances at the site, and how they feature in exhibits at the site. I will be questioning whether the narratives that Hampton Court puts forward are challenging or reinforcing the dominant perceptions of the wives in pop culture (these perceptions will be determined through looking at The Tudors, Philippa Gregory novels, and interviews with tourists), to conclude whether Hampton Court is perpetuating or breaking with stereotypes surrounding the wives. From this project, I hope to be able to suggest changes to the representations, to make them more multi-dimensional in the future.