Jenn McCollum To Talk About Zombies on October 26
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On Monday, October 26, Dr. Jenn McCollum will present “Sexing the Zombie: The Changing Body of a Timeless, Global Fixation” in Putney, Vermont. McCollum is an assistant professor of English at Landmark College. The event will be held at 7 p.m. in the Brooks M. O’Brien Auditorium, located in the East Academic Building at Landmark College. Part of the Landmark College Academic Speaker Series, this talk is free, accessible, and open to the public.
McCollum has a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Washington, Seattle, and an M.A. in English Literature and Women’s Studies from Clark University. She specializes in Victorian literature, an area in which she has published articles and made numerous professional presentations. Her upcoming book The Victorian Zombie will be published by McFarland Books.
“Dr. McCollum has the great ability to take complex ideas and make them relevant and accessible, and she does this while asking us to embrace the complexity,” said John Kipp, chair of the English Department and associate professor. “Her talk will challenge our assumptions and help us connect ideas in new ways.”
“Sexing the Zombie” will briefly historicize the trope of zombies in the arts (literature, fine arts, film, etc.) to show the overlooked but important role of zombies for complicating contemporary discussions about body politics and gender/sexuality issues. The zombie has a rich history that can be traced to cultural representations dating back at least to its religious beginnings in Samaria, Egypt, and Israel.
In addition to religious manifestations, incidents such as dancing mania can explain why zombie currency has maintained its value through hundreds of thousands of years of human history. Reaching briefly back into the rich history of zombies in literature shows that the zombie motif is not new; it is, in fact, ancient. Its incarnation through history is interesting and the stakes are high, especially in dissecting our Westernized perception of femininity and masculinity.
The mission of the Landmark College Academic Speaker Series is to promote the intellectual environment of the College and to facilitate discussion of important issues in the community. 2015-16 events are sponsored in part by GPI Construction, Green Mountain Tent Rentals, and The Richards Group.
Watch a video of McCollum talking about her upcoming presentation: