About Me
Hi, I’m Beth.
I’ve been described as a factotum before, and it’s pretty apt. Having done a bit of everything, I’ve often found it hard to fit my experience and interests into a snappy summary sentence. I have been lucky enough to travel, to live and teach in China, to complete a master’s degree and embark on a PhD, to run my own educational outreach business, and to write and create alongside it all. You can see my full CV here.
My academic research focus is on art history and gender studies, specifically focused on Chinese media in the 1920s and '30s. I want my work to challenge traditional Euro-centric approaches to gender in art and culture.
I am currently a PhD candidate at the University of Edinburgh. My working title is "Colonialism undressed: Negotiating nudity and the female body in media, arts, and popular medical science in Republican China (1910s – 1949)".
I am in the early stages of identifying the sources and scope of my thesis, but my main focus is the interaction and tension between colonial and colonised cultures in relation to gender and national identities.
My master’s dissertation research on the Chinese artist Pan Yuliang 潘玉良 was awarded runner up in the Women’s History Network Master’s Dissertation Prize 2021/22.
That said, my interests extend far beyond history. Fundamentally, I want to create resources that can be accessed and engaged with by people outside of the academic bubble.
Alongside my marine biologist friend/colleague, Dr. Rachel Gunn, I founded Breakdown Education during one of the lockdowns in 2020. Breakdown Education is an education platform and community for all learners. It acts as a bridge between formal education and community-centred learning, championing intersectional, diverse, and accessible knowledge networks. In 2021, we received a BES Outreach Grant to launch CEADI Science, our first course.
At the moment, I am the resident blogger for SGSAH (the Scottish Graduate School of Arts and Humanities).
If you like what I do, drop me a line and let me know! If you’ve got a project that you’d like to commission me for or get advice on, I’d love to hear from you.