Tessa Archambault is a PhD student in French literature at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research interests include ecocritical readings of French and Francophone film, novels, and theatre. She focuses on analyses of works from both the postcolonial and late colonial era while drawing connections to contemporary literature and film. Her dissertation deals with how colonialism has shaped dominant perceptions of nature in the French-speaking world and the ways in which literature and narrative unsettle or question those perceptions. She draws on critical theory from a range of disciplines including feminist studies, postcolonial and decolonial theory, political science and sociology.
Tessa holds a BA in French and theatre from the University of Minnesota and a MA in French literature from UW-Madison. Additional professional interests include teaching French as a second language as well as literature/culture-centered foreign language learning.