I completed a BA in French at the University of Exeter in 2006 and went on to do an MA in Literary Translation and a PhD in French Studies, both also at Exeter, graduating in 2012. Following completion of my doctorate, I worked as a Lecturer at the University of Portsmouth for a year and then as a University Teacher in French at the University of Liverpool for five years. I arrived at Bangor as Lecturer in French and Francophone Studies in the summer of 2018.

My PhD thesis was on themes of conflict and remembrance as represented in literary texts by French writers of Algerian origin. In October 2018, I published a book with University of Wales Press, entitled The Algerian War in French/Algerian Writing: Literary Sites of Memory, which built on my doctoral research. As well as having worked on the theme of memory and representations of war, I have also published on the topics of mobility and immobility and my current research focuses on representations of prisons and incarceration in the francophone world.

Email: j.lewis@bangor.ac.uk

Phone: 01248 382119

Office location: Room 449, Main Arts Building 

  • PhD: Conflict and Remembrance in Franco-Algerian Literature, 1981-1999
    University of Exeter, 2012
  • MA: Literary Translation
    University of Exeter, 2008
  • BA: French
    2006

I teach on and coordinate a wide variety of undergraduate and postgraduate modules, including core French language modules, modules on the history, cultures and society of France and the francophone world, as well as co-taught cross-departmental modules offered in the School of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics. I am also Year Abroad Coordinator for French and I supervise a number of final-year dissertation students, as well as one PhD student.

I currently teach on the following modules:

  • French for Beginners (first year)
  • Advanced French (first year)
  • Creating National Histories (first year)
  • Race and Immigration in France (second year)
  • French Language Skills and Translation (final year)
  • Press Dossier (final year)
  • Approaching Translation (final year)
  • Research Methods (MA)
  • Translation (MA)

My research interests lie in the broad field of Francophone Postcolonial Studies, with a particular focus on literary representation. Having worked extensively on texts authored by French writers of Algerian origin, specifially on representations of the Algerian War of Independence (1954-62) and the way in which the war has been remembered in France, as well as on issues of integration, immigration, mobility and immobility, I have now begun research on prisons and incarceration in the francophone world. This new project encapsulates the history of French penal colonies, such as Guyana and New Caledonia, post-independence dictatorships in the francophone world, and representations of the prison in contemporary France. 

I am an active member of the Society for Francophone Postcolonial Studies and a co-founder of the Iles-Monde Francophone Islands Network.

I welcome enquiries from students considering doctoral study in the field of Francophone Postcolonial Studies, particularly memory and representation, the Algerian War of Independence, and prisons and incarceration.

2024

2023

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2018

2012

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2023

  • BU-IIA Funded Project: A Greener Modern Language Curriculum for Wales: Creative Approaches to Fostering Environmental Sustainability and International Language Learning

    Aims: to develop creative approaches to fostering environmental sustainability in conjunction with international language learning. Working in partnership with GwE Global Futures, the project will lead to the creation of research-informed pedagogical resources for embedding environmental awareness in language learning, and the organisation of innovative workshops in Bangor with French graphic artist Anne Defréville, whose award-winning work engages with environmental issues in accessible and original ways. The programme of activities to be carried out in 2023-2024, with a focus on French language education and North Wales, is designed as a pilot scheme to be scaled up and serve as a paradigm for other languages, including Welsh as a second language.

    Funding awarded through the Bangor University Innovation and Impact Award (Research Wales Innovation Funding). Value = £4340

    1 Aug 2023 – 31 Jul 2024

    Activity: Other (Contributor)
  • Iles-Monde: Francophone Islands Network

    This is a recently formed network of academics interested in the histories, cultures and languages of French and Francophone islands. The network was formed by myself, in collaboration with two colleagues from external organisations.

    2023 →

    Activity: Types of External academic engagement - Contribution to the work of national or international committees and working groups (Organiser)