Daniel Ibrahim Abdalla

Daniel Ibrahim Abdalla is currently working on his DPhil at the Faculty of English, University of Oxford. His thesis considers the importance of evolutionary biology in the work of three American expatriates of the fin de siècle: Henry James, Elizabeth Robins, and Edith Wharton. He traces the way that concerns of the literature and drama of the period--specifically decadence, women’s rights, and sexuality--were directly related to contemporary scientific developments.

Alongside his thesis, he worked on the Diseases of Modern Life project as a part-time Research Assistant from February to the project's end in July 2019. His research for the project focused on representations of degeneration in fin-de-siècle drama. He also designed and managed the current Diseases of Modern Life website; planned the Mind Reading 2019: Adolescence, Literature and Mental Health conference; recorded and published the podcast After the Show: The Victorian Speed of Life, and assisted in compiling and planning the project's database. He also designed and managed the current Constructing Scientific Communities website.

Daniel’s academic work has also informed various related projects. He was asked to contribute a preface for Hurst Street Press’s series ANON, which celebrates the work of undervalued women writers. He has presented on the relationship between queer theory and literature and science at the AHRC-funded one-day workshop ‘Humanitarian Fictions’ (King’s College London, 2018) and at the Oxford Queer Studies Network (2018). In 2019-20, he will convene the American Literature Research Seminar at the Rothermere American Institute, University of Oxford.