PhD in Performance Studies

Sarah Jackson is a PhD student in the second year of the Performance Studies program at the University of Alberta, and the recipient of a SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship. Her research encompasses visual culture, gender and performance, burlesque, archival practices, and feminist theory.

Her PhD research investigates often-overlooked and discarded performative moments of women’s stage acts in the music-halls of London. Specifically, she will be exploring British illustrator Dudley Hardy’s Gaiety Girl posters (ca.1893-1899) through a post-structural semiotic analysis of archival resources, historiographical discourse, and contemporary burlesque performance, drawing on feminist theory throughout.

Her anticipated graduation date is the fall of 2027 – in the meantime, subscribe to her newsletter for (ir)regular updates!