Nathalie Jeter
My DPhil thesis argues that reading Huguenot escape tales through the lens of objects and materiality provides important clues to early modern refugee identity formation and (re)negotiation, as well as a useful way to think of these writings trans-historically. It explores objects present or absent from the narratives, the trajectory of how these stories became published – and translated – objects, and considers Huguenot refugees themselves as ‘strange objects’ in various settings.
I am also interested in investigating the role metis, the ancient Greek concept of practical intelligence or cunning, may have played in Huguenot exilic identity. As London was an important city for sheltering refugees and for publishing and disseminating their stories, my focus is primarily on Huguenot memorialists who passed through that gateway city in the late 17th to early 18th centuries, whether they settled there permanently or moved on towards nouveaux horizons.
Prior to the DPhil, I completed MAs in Journalism and Public Policy in the US and a MPhil in Modern Languages from Oxford (St Cross); before moving back into the role of student I was a teacher and writer in the states of Texas, Virginia and Missouri. I currently co-convene the French Graduate Seminar (2021-22).
