Dr. Justine Mcconnell

Biography

Prior to joining King’s College London in 2016, Justine McConnell was a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at the University of Oxford, where she researched contemporary African and Caribbean literature, as well as ancient Greek poetics. She has also held postdoctoral fellowships at Northwestern University, Illinois, focusing on Archive Performances of Greek and Roman Drama. Her academic background includes a BA in Classics from the University of Cambridge, an MPhil in English Literature from the University of Bristol, and a PhD from Royal Holloway, University of London. Justine is the author of 'Black Odysseys: Homeric Odyssey and the African Diaspora 1939' (Oxford University Press, 2013), 'Performing Epic: Telling Tales' (co-authored with Fiona Macintosh, Oxford University Press, 2020), and 'Derek Walcott and the Creation of Classical Caribbean' (Bloomsbury, 2023). She has co-edited four volumes which explore various aspects of Greek drama and myth in relation to modern contexts. Justine teaches theories and methods in Comparative Literature, Classical Reception, and Postcolonial Literatures. Her research interests include Caribbean literature, Classical Reception studies, epic orality, performance, and Postcolonial theory, focusing particularly on the intersection of ancient Greek literature with contemporary narratives from the Caribbean and African diaspora. She is involved in public engagement activities, including giving talks and curating poetry events, as well as exploring how classical literature can be a tool of resistance for contemporary writers.

Research Interests