Professor Dr. Emer O Toole

Biography

Emer O'Toole is a creative writer and theatremaker who specializes in theatre, performance, and film. She is currently a faculty member at Concordia University, where she supervises thesis projects and conducts research in areas such as performance studies, interventional aesthetics, and cultural politics. Her recent academic monograph, 'Contemporary Irish Theatre Social Change: Activist Aesthetics' (Routledge, 2023), examines the debates surrounding aesthetic autonomy. Additionally, she authored 'Girls Girls' (Orion, 2015), which makes Judith Butler's theory of gender performativity accessible to a broad audience. O'Toole is also engaged in an SSHRC-funded project called 'She-Beast,' which explores Irish animals through performance lectures. Her educational background includes a Ph.D. in theatre studies from Royal Holloway, University of London, an MPhil in Irish Theatre Performance from Trinity College Dublin, and a BA in Philosophy and English Literature from University of Galway. O'Toole teaches undergraduate courses in Irish theatre and performance studies, and she regularly supervises independent undergraduate field studies in Ireland.

Research Interests

Experience