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In my thesis, I investigate the poetics of testimony as developed in the writings of the French-Algerian philosopher Jacques Derrida. I'm interested in the different ways that testimony – particularly the responsibility to testify for others – is mediated through the recurring themes of his late thought, despite always remaining, in a certain sense, impossible. My research demonstrates that Derrida's thinking provides novel ways of understanding testimony more broadly, especially with regard to the political and poetic significance of its singularity, its relationship with death, and its opening of a critical space for considering nonhuman witnessing.

Before commencing my DPhil studies at Oxford, I completed a BA in Philosophy and Sociology at the University of Leeds and an MA in Modern Languages at King's College London. My broader interests include 20th-century French philosophy and literature, the works of Walter Benjamin, critical theory, and psychoanalysis.

My research is generously funded by the Oxford-Lady Margaret Hall Walker Graduate Scholarship.

Teaching

  • French Sole Prelims: Introduction to Literary Theory (2025–2026)

Conference and Seminar Papers

  • '"La date est un témoin": Derrida and the (Im)possible Testimony of Dates', Society for European Philosophy, King's College London, July 2025
  • 'Derrida, Celan: Hedgehogs, Hearts, and the "devenir-poétique de la parole"', French Graduate Research Seminar, All Souls College, December 2025

Other Activities and Roles

  • Co-convener of the 'La Philosophie en effet' seminar series on 'Intellectual Influences' (2025)
  • French Sub-Faculty Graduate Representative (2025–2026)
  • Academic Assistant to Professor Nikolaj Lübecker (2025 onwards)
  • Co-organiser of the 'Witnessing the World Otherwise: Testimony, Community, and the (Post-)Human' workshop at the Maison Française d'Oxford (forthcoming, July 2026) (more on this here)

Scholarships and Awards

  • Academic Development Grant (Lady Margaret Hall), Conference and Workshop Grant (Society for French Studies), and Critical-Thinking Communities Grant (TORCH)
    November 2025

    Funding to organise a workshop at the Maison Française d'Oxford