Sophie Bramley

Profile

I graduated the University of Leeds with a BA (hons) in French Studies in 2015. I returned to undertake a Masters by Research, part-time, in 2016 entitled ‘Hyperreality and gender performativity in the works of Bettina Rheims and Virginie Despentes’. I graduated in 2018, and immediately commenced PhD study. My doctoral research considers how intimacy politics are represented in the works of a number of French female authors and artists, with particular interest in the way intimacy intersects with violence, gender and sexual politics. I analyse a variety of contemporary French literature and art across a range of genres, including works by Virginie Despentes, Leila Slimani, Sophie Calle and Chloé Cruchadet. 

Alongside my PhD, I work as a Research Manager at the University of York in the Department of Sociology. My role oversees all research management in the department including REF administration, pre-award grant support and research strategy. My research is therefore heavily influenced by the fields Sociology and Psychoanalysis and aims to consider how certain theoretical approaches and concepts can be enhanced by an analysis of art’s inherent subjectivity, and by the coalescence of a number of academic viewpoints. 

Qualifications

• BA (hons) French Studies
• MAR French and Cultural Studies