Dr. Jeremy Ahearne

Biography

Professor Jeremy Ahearne specializes in contemporary French political and intellectual cultural history, with a focus on the issues raised by international language policies. His research takes a broad approach to the interface between national cultures and government policies, with particular attention to political secularism, education reform, media, national memory, and language. Currently, he is focusing on the projections of the French language as a world language, supported by a 12-month Leverhulme Research Fellowship in 2024-25. As the Deputy Chair overseeing Research and Impact within the Faculty of Arts and the former Director of Research for the School of Modern Languages and Cultures, Ahearne has played an essential role in academic administration and was head of French between 2005 and 2008. He has published extensively in high-impact journals and contributed to several important academic works addressing cultural policy and the role of language in contemporary society. Recent publications include articles discussing the cultural policies of global cities and the role of language in cultural diversity in England, as well as a prize-winning piece on Emmanuel Macron's re-projection of the French language.

Research Interests