GERRY CANAVAN

web: http://www.gerrycanavan.com

blog: http://gerrycanavan.wordpress.com

twitter: @gerrycanavan

email: gerry.canavan@duke.edu

phone: 336-253-7135 

 

Academic Employment

English Department, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI

Assistant Professor of 20th and 21st Century Literature (Beginning Fall 2012)

 

Education

Duke University, Durham, NC

Ph.D. in Literature (2012)

Dissertation: Theories of Everything: Science Fiction, Totality, and Empire in the Twentieth Century

Dissertation Directors: Fredric Jameson and Priscilla Wald

 

University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC

M.F.A. in Creative Writing (2004)

Thesis: Happy Few: Short Stories

Thesis Directors: Lee Zacharias, Michael Parker, and Fred Chappell

 

Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH

B.A. summa cum laude in English (with departmental honors) and Philosophy (2002)

 

 

Teaching and Research Areas

American and British literature and culture, transnational American studies, literary and critical
theory, popular culture and cultural studies, film and television, comics and graphic narrative,
science fiction, ecological humanities, empire studies, contemporary world literature, new media.

 

 

Publications

Edited Collections

Co-Editor with Kim Stanley Robinson, Green Planets: Ecology and Science Fiction. Under

contract at Wesleyan University Press.

 

Edited Journals

Co-Editor with Priscilla Wald, American Literature 83.2: "Speculative Fictions" (2011). Duke

University Press.

Co-Editor with Lisa Klarr and Ryan Vu, Polygraph 22: "Ecology and Ideology" (2010).

Duke University Program in Literature.

 

Peer-Reviewed Articles

"Hope, but Not for Us: Ecological Science Fiction and the End of the World in Margaret

Atwood's Oryx & Crake and The Year of the Flood." Lit: Literature, Interpretation, Theory.

Forthcoming 2013.

"Fighting a War You've Already Lost: Zombies and Zombis in Firefly and Dollhouse." Science

Fiction Film and Television 4.2 (Fall 2011): 173-204.

"'We Are the Walking Dead': Race, Time, and Survival in Zombie Narrative." Extrapolation

51.3 (Fall 2010): 431-453.

 

Book Chapters

"Life Without Hope? Huntington's Disease and Genetic Futurity." Representations of Disability

in Science Fiction. Ed. Kathryn Allan. Forthcoming 2014.

"Far Beyond the Star Pit: Samuel R. Delany." Black and Brown Planets: The Politics of Race in

Science Fiction. Ohio State University Press. Forthcoming 2014.

"Zombies, Reavers, Butchers, and Actuals in Joss Whedon's Work." Joss Whedon: The Complete

Companion. London: Titan Books, 2012.

"Science Fiction." The American Novel: 1870-1940. Eds. Priscilla Wald and Michael A. Elliott.

The Oxford History of the Novel in English, Vol. 6. Oxford University Press.

Forthcoming 2012.

"Debt, Theft, Permaculture: Justice and Ecological Scale." Debt. Eds. Merry Wiesner-Hanks and

Peter Y. Paik. Indiana University Press. Forthcoming 2012.

"'You Can't Change Anything': Freedom and Control in Twelve Monkeys." The Cinema of

Terry Gilliam: It's a Mad World. Eds. Anna Froula, Karen Randell, and Jeff Birkenstein.

Wallflower Press/Columbia University Press. Forthcoming 2011.

"Terror and Mismemory: Resignifying 9/11 in World Trade Center and United 93." Portraying

9/11: Essays on Representations in Comics, Literature, Film and Theater. Eds.

Veronique Bragard, Christophe Dony, and Warren Rosenberg. McFarland & Co., 2011: 118-133.

"Person of the Year: Barack Obama, the Joker, Capitalism, and Schizophrenia." Politics and

Popular Culture. Ed. Leah A. Murray. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2010: 2-13.

 

Reviews

"Review of Henry A. Giroux's Zombie Politics and Culture in the Age of Casino Capitalism and

David McNally's Monsters of the Market: Zombies, Vampires and Global Capitalism." Science

Fiction Film and Television. Forthcoming 2012.

"Review of John Clute's Pardon This Intrusion: Fantastika in the World Storm." Science Fiction

Studies. Forthcoming 2012.

"Review of Darko Suvin's Defined by a Hollow: Essays on Utopia, Science Fiction and Political

Epistemology." Historical Materialism. Forthcoming 2012.

"Review of Laurence A. Rickels's I Think I Am: Philip K. Dick." Novel. Forthcoming 2012.

"Review of Seo-Young Chu's Do Metaphors Dream of Literal Sleep: A Science-Fictional

Theory of Representation." Comparative Literature Studies. Forthcoming 2012.

"Review of Elizabeth Young's Black Frankenstein, John Rieder's Colonialism and the

Emergence of Science Fiction, and Matthew J. Costello's Secret Identity Crisis."

American Literature 82.2 (June 2010): 427-429.

"Review of Mark Bould and China Mieville's Red Planets: Marxism and Science Fiction."

Reviews in Cultural Theory 1.1 (June 2010): 46-51.

"Review of Marc Bousquet's How the University Works." Polygraph 21 (Fall 2009): 205-213.

 

Interviews

"Embodied Materialism in Action: An Interview with Ariel Salleh." With Lisa Klarr

and Ryan Vu. Polygraph 22 (Fall 2010): 183-200.

"Science, Justice, Science Fiction: A Conversation with Kim Stanley Robinson." With Lisa Klarr

and Ryan Vu. Polygraph 22 (Fall 2010): 201-218.

"William Gibson Discusses Memory, Twitter and His Latest Novel." Independent Weekly (15

September 2010): http://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/our-full-interview-with-

william-gibson/Content?oid=1670094.

 

Media Appearances and Podcasts

"The End of the World." The State of Things. 91.5 WUNC--North Carolina Public Radio (Durham,

NC). 27 January 2012.
Guest Appearances. Poli-Sci-Fi Radio with Bill Simmon and Steve Benen. 105.9 WOMM-LP--

The Radiator (Burlington, Vermont). 2008-2012.


Freelance Writing and Alternative Media, 2002-present.

Outlets have included Independent Weekly, American Book Review, and PopMatters.com.

Additional information available upon request.

 

 

Awards and Honors

Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Fellowship for Undergraduate Instruction, Duke University (2011-

2012)

James B. Duke Fellowship in Literature, Duke University (2006-2010)

Jacob K. Javits Fellowship for Graduate Study in the Humanities, U.S. Department of Education

(2002-2004)

The John Schoff Millis Award for a Graduating Senior, Case Western Reserve University (2002)

The Harriet Pelton Perkins Award to a Student Majoring in English, CWRU (2002)

The Kennedy Prize for Creative Work in English, CWRU (2002)

Edith Garber Krotinger Award for Excellence in Creative Writing, CWRU (2002)

Clemens Award for Talent and Accomplishment in Writing, CWRU (2002, 2001)

Election to Phi Beta Kappa (2001)

Trustee's Scholarship, CWRU (1998-2002)

 

 

Research and Travel Grants

Travel Grant to Nagoya American Studies Summer Seminar, Nanzan University, Nagoya, Japan

(2011)

R.D. Mullen Research Fellowship, Eaton Collection of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and

Utopian Literature, University of California, Riverside (2010-2011)

Franklin Humanities Institute Dissertation Working Group Grant, Duke University (2010-2011)

Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Advanced Collaboratory (HASTAC) Fellowship,

Duke University (2009-2010, 2010-2011, 2011-2012)

Duke University Fellowship to Clinton Institute for American Studies, University College

Dublin, Ireland (2010)

Dissertation Research Travel Award, Duke University (2010)

Summer Research Fellowship for Ph.D. Students in the Humanities and Social Science

Programs, Duke University (2010)

Duke University Conference Travel Fellowship (2009-2010, 2010-2011, 2011-2012)

 


Invited Talks

"Debt, Theft, Permaculture: Justice and Ecological Scale." Debt Conference, Center for 21st

Century Studies, University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, April 2010.

 

 

Conference Presentations

"Xenogenocide: The Oankali on Trial." International Conference on the Fantastic in the

Arts, March 2012.
"How to Read Science Fiction and Why." Third Annual North Carolina State University

Association of English Graduate Student Conference, February 2012.

"The Empire Never Ended: Philip K. Dick's Cold War Science Fictions and the National

Security State." American Studies Association, October 2011.

"Hope, but Not for Us: Ecological Science Fiction and the End of the World." Society for

Literature, Science and the Arts Conference, September 2011.

"Towards Zombietopia." Utopia/Dystopia Conference, Duke University, September 2011.

"Petroleum Futures: Oil, Addiction, and the Ontology of Limit." Nagoya American Studies

Summer Seminar, Nanzan University, Nagoya, Japan, July 2011.

"Roundtable: Science Fiction and Environmentalism." Association for the Study of

Literature and Environment, June 2011.

"'The Ultimate Horizon of Thought in Our Time': Twenty-First Century Science Fiction

and Utopia." American Comparative Literature Association Conference, April 2011.

"Star Maker and Empire." Eaton Science Fiction Conference, University of California,

Riverside, February 2011.

"The Sky's The Limit: The 1970s vs. The Future." Climate Change I Panel, American Studies

Association, November 2010.

"Ecology and Ideology: Ecocriticism Today." With Lisa Klarr and Ryan Vu. Green Literature

Seminar, American Comparative Literature Association Conference, April 2010.

"'We Are The Walking Dead': Race, Time, and Survival in Zombie Narrative."

International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, March 2010.

"Progress, Disaster, Entropy, Permaculture: Towards an Ontology of Limit." Oil

Ontologies Panel, Modern Language Association Annual Convention, December 2009.       

"Burn It Down and Start Again: Apocalyptic Futurity and the Break." Society for Utopian

Studies Annual Meeting, October 2009.

"Red Mars, Green Earth: Science Fiction and Ecological Futurity." Southwest/Texas

Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association Conference, February 2009.

"Person of the Year: Barack Obama, the Joker, Capitalism, and Schizophrenia." The

Politics of Superheroes Conference, Yale University, January 2009.

"'You Can't Change Anything': Freedom and Control in Twelve Monkeys." Annual Film &

History Conference, October 2008.

"Tony Lives Next Door: Criminality and Marginality in The Sopranos." Insiders and

Outsiders Conference, Duke University, September 2007.

 

 

Sessions Organized or Chaired

Chair, "Monstrous Posthuman Imaginings." International Conference on the Fantastic in the

Arts, March 2012.

Co-Organizer, "Marxism and New Media" Conference. Duke University, Spring 2012.

Co-Organizer, "Utopia, Globalization, Film" Session. American Comparative Literature

Association, April 2011.

Chair, "Speculative California Landscapes In A Global Age" Panel. Eaton Science Fiction

Conference, University of California, Riverside, February 2011.

Chair, "Postmodern Paradigms" Panel. International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts,

March 2010.

Chair, "20th Century Fiction I" Panel. Society for Utopia Studies Annual Meeting, October

2009.

Co-Organizer, "Ecology, Ideology, Politics: A Roundtable Discussion with Tim Morton, Kathy

Rudy, and the Polygraph Collective." Duke University, April 2009.

Co-Organizer, "Cultures of Recession" Conference at Duke University, November 2009.

 

 

Teaching Experience                                         Detailed syllabi available upon request.

 

Assistant Professor

Marquette University

* ENGL 2710: Introduction to Literature: Fiction
Thematic Title: "Contemporary American Fiction" (Fall 2012)

* ENGL 4560/5560: The Contemporary Period in American Literature: 1945-Present
Thematic Title: "Comics as Literature" (Fall 2012)

 

Instructor

Duke University

*          LIT 145S: Science Fiction and Ecology (Spring 2012)

*          LIT 145S: 21st Century Science Fiction (Summer 2011)

*          LIT 120AS / VISUALST 183 / ISIS 183 / AMI 128: Watching Television

(Summer 2010)

*          WRITING 20: Writing the Future (Spring 2010)

*          LIT 151S / VISUALST 189S: Comics as Literature (Summer 2009)

*          LIT 20S: The Imagination of Disaster (Fall 2008)

Duke Talent Identification Program

*          Apocalypse Soon (Summer 2008, Summer 2009)

*          Phantom Fiction (Summer 2007)

 

Lecturer

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

*          ENG 225: Writing Fiction: Introductory (Summer 2005, Spring 2006)

*          ENG 108: Special Topics in British and American Literature: Contemporary

Fiction (Fall 2005)

*          ENG 105: Introduction to Narrative (Fall 2004, Spring 2005, Spring 2006,

Summer 2006)

*          ENG 104: Introduction to Literature (Fall 2005)

*          ENG 101: Introduction to Composition (Fall 2004, Spring 2005, Spring 2006)

*          FRESHMAN SEMINAR 115: Transformation, Identity, and Metaphor (Fall

2005)

 

Teaching Assistant

Duke University

*          to Michael Hardt, LIT 181A: Marxism and Society (Spring 2008)

*          to Negar Mottahedeh, LIT 110: Introduction to Film (Fall 2007)

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

*          to Michael Parker, ENG 105: Introduction to Narrative (Spring 2004)

*          to Lee Zacharias, ENG 105: Introduction to Narrative (Fall 2003)

*          to Fred Chappell, ENG 236: Genre Fiction—Fantasy and Science Fiction (Fall 2003)

 

Tutor

Duke University

*          Writing Studio Tutor (Spring 2009)

*          State Administration of Foreign Affairs Experts (SAFEA) Tutor (Fall 2008)

Case Western Reserve University

*          Tutor in Latin and Philosophy (1999-2002)

 

 

Editorial Experience

Editorial Assistant, American Studies Association, Summer 2011.

Staff Member and Web Master, Polygraph Collective, 2006-present.

Web Master, Institute for Critical Theory, Duke University, 2007-present.

Co-Founder and Editor, Backwards City Review, 2004-2007.

Freelance Editing and Indexing, 2004-present. Outlets included Verso Press, University of

Chicago Press, and graduate dissertations.

Editorial Assistant, The Greensboro Review, 2003-2004.

 

 

Additional Research Experience

Researcher, Philip K. Dick "Exegesis" Project, Penn State University, 2011.

Research Assistant, Dr. Priscilla Wald, Duke University, 2011.

Research Assistant, Dr. Fredric Jameson, Duke University, 2009.

Research Assistant, Dr. Alice Kaplan, Duke University and Yale University, 2006-2011.

Research Assistant, Dr. Marianna Torgovnik, Duke University, 2007-2008.

 

 

University Service

Co-Organizer, "Periodizing Jameson." Literature Graduate Student Seminar, April 2012.

"Heroes, Villains, and the Dark Age of Comics." Duke University Libraries, February 2012.
"Shipwrecked Passengers on a Doomed Planet." Literature Graduate Student Colloquium,

Duke University, November 2011.

Graduate Student Liaison, Program in Literature, Duke University, 2010-2012.

Member, Graduate and Professional Student Council, Duke University, 2008, 2011.

Conference Assistant, "Environmental Justice" Symposium, Duke University, January 2010.

Co-Convener, "Ecology and the Humanities" Working Group, Franklin Humanities Institute,

Duke University, 2009-2010.

Conference Assistant, "Competing Cosmologies, Effecting Worlds: Intersections of Science

and Religion" Symposium, Duke University, January 2010.

Co-Convener, "Political Ecology" Graduate Seminar, Duke University Center for

International Studies, 2008-2009.

Student Judge, Academic Integrity Board, Case Western Reserve University, 2002.

 

 

Professional Memberships

Modern Language Association

American Studies Association

American Comparative Literature Association

Society for Cinema and Media Studies

Society for Literature, Science, and the Arts

Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment

Modernist Studies Association

Science Fiction Research Association

International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts

Society for Utopian Studies

 

 

References                                         References available upon request.