Congratulations to Megan Hicks on her successful MA thesis defence! Her thesis is entitled: “Bio-graphing Secrecy Subjects: The Case of The Quiet Canadian”.
“In my MA thesis, I examine how biography and biography production is an important site for secrecy research by following the development of the biography, The Quiet Canadian, about Sir William Stephenson, the head of the British Security Coordination. By reading correspondence between key figures in the biography’s production, I developed what I describe as bio-graphing, which is a method of writing about the individuals’ lives and interactions that shape a biography. By bio-graphing, I discuss how individuals struggle with rumours of controversy and disagreements over questions of power, reputation, anonymity, and legitimacy. I also examine cultural interpretations of secrecy subjects, while highlighting overlooked persons (e.g., the secretary, the deputy, and the wife of the secrecy subject) within secrecy research.
I am incredibly grateful to my supervisor, William Walters, and my MA defence committee members for their support and expertise. I am also grateful to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for funding, which allowed me to conduct research at the Churchill Archives Centre at Cambridge University. I am looking forward to expanding this research when I begin my PhD in Sociology at Carleton University in the Fall of 2024.”