Professor Dr. Anna Persson

Biography

I hold a PhD in Gender Studies and I am currently a postdoctoral researcher in English Literature at the Department of Language Studies, focusing on speculative fiction. My postdoc project, 'Reimagining Red Planet: Feminist Queer Speculative Interventions,' examines feminist and queer perspectives in Mars-related speculative fiction, challenging conventional narratives around Mars and space exploration. My main research interests revolve around speculative fiction, queer theory, outer space, and (queer) masculinities. In my dissertation, 'Steel Answer? Viking Bodies, Power, Masculinity in Anglophone Fantasy Literature 2006–2016,' I explored the Viking motif in contemporary Anglophone gritty fantasy, with a focus on gender, sexuality, embodiment, and power. In 2021, I published a collection of essays on speculative fiction entitled 'Annorstädes [Elsewhere],' through Vendels Förlag. Additionally, I serve as the editorial secretary for Lambda Nordica, a Nordic journal dedicated to LGBTQ research and queer studies. I am also involved in the research group Speculative Fiction UmU.

Research Interests