Yasmine Hachimi

Yasmine Hachimi's picture

Biography: 

In Fall 2022, I joined the Newberry Library as a Public Humanities Postdoctoral Fellow. While I am happy to consider invitations to deliver talks, contribute to publications, or participate in events centered on scholars of color, I will be slow to read and reply to emails. You can contact me at hachimiy [at] newberry [dot] org or find me on Twitter [at] YasmineHachimi.

 

Current Appointments

  • The Newberry Library, Center for Renaissance Studies
    • ​Public Humanities Postdoctoral Fellow, 2022-24.
    • Co-curator of the Seeing Race Before Race exhibition (Fall 2023) with Lia Markey, Rebecca Fall, Christopher Fletcher, and Noémie Ndiaye. 

Education​

  • PhD Candidate, Department of English, University of California at Davis, September 2022.
    • ​Dissertation: 
      • The Eroticization of Tudor Queens in Sixteenth-Century England and Beyond.
    • Committee: 
      • Frances Dolan (chair), Gina Bloom, Colin Milburn.
  • BA, English with a minor in Medieval and Renaissance Studies, cum laude, University of San Diego, 2015.
  • Study Abroad, Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Associated with Keble College, Oxford, England, 2014.

Project Description

My book project, Tudorotica, traces the eroticization and racialization of England's Tudor queens on the page, stage, and screen. Drawing on a multi-media archive, I examine letters, chronicles, portraits, plays, historical fiction, period dramas, and fanfiction to reveal how early modern male writers set up the perspectives on Tudor queens that will last hundreds of years and be picked up by modern popular media. Although contemporary popular representations claim to provide more feminist versions of these old narratives, I argue that we are actually reproducing its sexist and racist logics. I also consider why some Tudor queens are hypersexualized while others are de-sexualized. Understanding the roots of the eroticization and racialization of Tudor queens will allow us to explore the agency of queens without romanticizing the problematic and abusive relationships they found themselves in or reducing them to their sexuality. This project raises questions about history, representation, and relevance for academic and non-academic audiences. 

Publications

Book Manuscript in Process

  • Tudorotica

Peer Reviewed Journals (Open Access)

Book Chapters

  • "Race, Religion, and the Ethics of Adapting Philippa Gregory's The Constant Princess." Class: A Premodern Critical Race Studies Casebook, Edited by Margo Hendricks. ACMRS Press, 2025. 
  • "'I have perused her well': The Hypersexualisation of Anne Boleyn in Shakespeare and Fletcher's All Is True and Showtime's The Tudors." Ethical Appropriation in Shakespearean Performance, Edited by Louise Geddes, Kathryn Santos, and Geoffrey Way. Edinburgh University Press, 2024.

Public-Facing Articles

Book Reviews

  • With Maura Giles-Watson, Review of Richard Carew, The Examination of Men's Wits. The Sixteenth Century Journal, 48.1, 241-42. Spring 2017. 
  • Invited reader for, Maura Giles-Watson, "Playing as Literate Practice: Humanism and the Exclusion of Women Performers by the London Professional Stages," in New Directions in Medieval Manuscript Studies and Reading Practices, Essays in Honor of Derek Pearsall, edited by Kathryn Kerby-Fulton, John J. Thompson, and Sarah Beachle. University of Notre Dame Press, 2014. 

Media Contributions

Invited Talks & Lectures 

  • Public-Facing talk, "Undressing Catherine of Aragon on the Page and Screen." Society for the Study of Women in the Renaissance, CUNY. April 2023. 
  • Public-Facing talk, "(Re)Imagining the Past: Race and the Representation of Anne Boleyn in Tudor England and Beyond." Institute for the Public Understanding of the Past, University of York. May 2022. 
  • Public-Facing talk, "Anne Boleyn and the Politics of Race in Tudor England and Beyond." Women, Gender, and Culture in the Early Modern World Seminar, Mahindra Center for the Humanities. Harvard University. February 2022.
  • Public-Facing talk, "'A beauty not so whitely': Anne Boleyn and the Optics of Race." Race and Queenship Lecture Series, Butler University. February 2022. 
  • Presenter, "Fan Communities & Research Practices." UWP1 Faculty Development, UC Davis. June 2019.
  • Guest Lecturer, "Early Modern Epistolography: The Material Letter." UC Davis. October 2016.

Conferences & Symposia

  • Co-Organizer, "Sex and Race in Popular Representations of the Premodern" with Rebecca L. Fall (Newberry Library). Seminar, Shakespeare Association of America (SAA). Portland, Oregon. April 2024. 
  • Panelist, "'She was a pious minx!': Eroticizing Catherine of Aragon in The Spanish Princess." Popular Representations of Premodern Queens Panel. Renaissance Society of America (RSA). Chicago, IL. March 2024. 
  • Organizer, "Popular Representations of Premodern Queens" Panel. Sponsored by the Newberry Library, RSA. Chicago, IL. March 2024. 
  • Keynote, "Emerging Practices in Premodern Studies." Multidisciplinary Graduate Student Conference. Center for Renaissance Studies, Newberry Library, Chicago. January 2023.
  • Panelist, "'A beauty not so whitely': Anne Boleyn and the Optics of Race in Sixteenth-Century England." Gendering Whiteness in Early Modern England Panel. Renaissance Society of America (RSA). Dublin, Ireland. April 2022. 
  • Moderator, "Public Humanities and Pedagogies" Plenary. Attending to Women. Newberry Library, Chicago. October 2022.
  • Invited Participant, "Race-ing & Queering Queens." SAA. Webinar, April 2021. 
  • Panelist, "Faculty-Student Networking." Undergraduate Research, Scholarship & Creative Activities Conference. Undergraduate Research Center, UC Davis. April 2021. 
  • Invited Participant, "Public Shakespeares and New Media Seminar." SAA. Conference canceled due to COVID-19, seminar conducted virtually via Zoom. April 2020. 
  • Moderator, "Computational Speculations" Panel. Futurity Factory: Speculative Media, Science, Technology Symposium, UC Davis. February 2019. 
  • Panelist, "Social Media, Networking & You." Scholar Symposium, UC Davis. November 2018. 
  • Session Co-Chair, "Reproducible Bodies: Literary Queenship, Agency, and Cultural Memory" with Breanne Weber (University of Virgina). Attending to Early Modern Women: Action and Agency, Milwaukee, WI. June 2018.
  • Presenter, “Henrician Epistolography and the Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn.” Creative Collaborations Research Conference, University of San Diego. April 2015.
  • Presenter, “’Written by the hand of your servant’: Bodily Inscription in the Love Letters of Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn.” Annual Undergraduate Summer Research Conference, University of California at San Diego. August 2014.
  • Presenter, “Gift Giving and Hunting in Henrician Epistolography.” McNair Symposium, University of San Diego. August 2014.
  • Attendee, THATCamp, Digital Humanities Conference. San Diego State University. October 2014.
  • Presenter, “Like a Virgin: Representations of Female Chastity in Elizabethan England.” Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies Symposium, Oxford, England. April 2014.
  • Presenter, “Virtue and Pleasure: Women in 18th Century Domestic Fiction.” Annual Undergraduate Summer Research Conference, University of California at San Diego. August 2013.

Events & Workshops

  • Co-Organizer, "Premodern Critical Race Studies Dissertation Seminar" with Ambereen Dadhaboy and Roland Betancourt. Center for Renaissance Studies. Newberry Library, Chicago. 2023-2024. 
  • Co-Organizer, "Performing Race: Past and Present" with Vanessa Corredera, Allen Gilmore, and Ericka Ratcliff, with actors from the Congo Square Theatre. Center for Renaissance Studies & Newberry Public Programming. Newberry Library, Chicago. November 2023. 
  • Co-Organizer, "Seeing Race Before Race: Planning A Public Humanities Project." Center for Renaissance Studies. Newberry Library, Chicago. November 2023. 
  • Co-Organizer, "Introduction to Critical Indigenous Studies for Early Modern Scholars" with Lehua Yim. Center for Renaissance Studies. Newberry Library, Chicago. November 2023. 
  • Co-Host and Co-Organizer, " Il Moro/The More: A Story of Alessandro de'Medici." Film Screening and Talk with Daphne di Cinto. Center for Renaissance Studies & Newberry Public Programming. Newberry Library, Chicago. October 2023. 
  • Co-Organizer, "Understanding Race: Past and Present" with Olivette Otele and Noémie Ndiaye. Center for Renaissance Studies & Newberry Public Programming. Newberry Library, Chicago. September 2023.
  • Host, "Race & Representation in Romance." Race in Dialogue series. Newberry Library, Chicago. November 2022.

Select Fellowships and Grants

  • Mellon Foundation funded RaceB4Race Social Media Fellowship. Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (ACMRS), Arizona State University. 2022.
  • Russell J. and Dorothy S. Bilinski Educational Foundation Dissertation Writing Fellowship, UC Davis. 2021-2022.
  • James and Roberta Woodress Endowed Fund Grant for International Research, UC Davis. 2021, 2022.
  • Language Study Funding, UC Davis English Department. 2021.
  • Summer Dissertation Fellowship, UC Davis English Department. 2019, 2020, 2021.
  • Healthy Davis Together Spring Break Grant, UC Davis. 2021. 
  • UC Davis Instant Award, Undergraduate Education. 2020.
  • Folger Institute Funding, 2019. 
  • Newberry Library Consortium Grant, 2018, 2019.
  • Miller Research & Archival Travel Award, UC Davis. 2019.
  • Summer Funding, UC Davis English Department. 2017, 2018.
  • Englund Fellowship, UC Davis. 2015-2016.
  • McNair Fellowship, UC Davis. 2015-2016.

Research & Teaching Interests

Early Modern Literature and Culture​, Epistolography, Queenship, Period Dramas, Popular Representations of the Premodern, Media & Fan Studies, Gender & Sexuality, Premodern Critical Race Studies, Popular Culture, YA Literature, Romance Novels.

Teaching

  • Co-Instructor, Seeing Race Before Race Exhibition Series. Newberry Adult Education, Newberry Library, Chicago. Fall 2023. 
  • Co-Instructor, Seeing Race Before Race: How to Imagine the Roots of Race in the Premodern Past. Teacher Programs, Newberry Library, Chicago. September 2023. 
  • Instructor of Record, ENL3, Introduction to Literature: Relationships & Relationality (Online Course), 2021.
  • Instructor of Record, UWP1Y, Introduction to Academic Literacies: Fan Communities & Research Practices (Hybrid Course), 2019-2020. 
  • Instructor of Record, IEPP: Communication & Culture Program, U.S. Society & Culture: Contemporary Media & American Popular Culture, 2019. 
  • Instructor of Record, UWP1, Introduction to Academic Literacies: Language Diversity & Cultural Literacies. 2018-2019.
  • Teaching Assistant, ENL 154: The Graphic Novel, with Professor Colin Milburn. Spring 2018. 
  • Teaching Assistant, ​ENL 117: Late Shakespeare in Renaissance England, with Associate Professor Tiffany Werth. Winter 2018. 
  • Teaching Assistant, ​ENL 117: Early Shakespeare and the Theater, with Professor Gina Bloom. Fall 2017. 

Teaching Development

  • English Department, Teaching Literature and Composition Seminar and Practicum. UC Davis, 2020.
  • University Writing Program, Hybrid/Online Pedagogy Training. UC Davis, 2019. 
  • University Writing Program, Teaching First-Year Writing Seminar and Practicum. UC Davis, 2018. 

DEI Training

  • Attendee, "So You Want to do ABAR Work?" Liberate and Chill Collective. Webinar, July 2020.
  • Participant, "Confronting Diversity With/As Scholars of Color." Shakespeare Association of America. Online Workshop, April 2021. 
  • Attendee, "Complaint, Diversity and Other Hostile Environments" with Dr. Sara Ahmed. Courageous Conversations Speaker Series. Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. University of Alberta, Canada. March 2021. 
  • Participant, UndocuAlly Training, UC Davis, June 2020. 

Select Institutional Service & Program Building

  • Invited Participant, SAA Conference Futures Committee, 2023-Present. 
  • Invited Participant, "Design Workshop for New Academy." American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), 2021.
  • Social Media and Public Outreach Manager for Early Modern Studies in the English Department, UC Davis, 2020-2021. 
  • Event Organizer & Facilitator, "After #RaceB4Race." UC Davis, February 2019.
  • Mentor, Mentor-Mentee Program in Humanities, Arts, Cultural Studies and Social Sciences, Undergraduate Research Center, 2018-2019.
  • Graduate Committee, English Department, 2018-2019.
  • Co-Chair, English Graduate Student Association, 2018-2019.
  • Mentor, English Graduate Student Association, 2017-2019.
  • Co-Chair, Women's Caucus, English Graduate Student Association, 2017-2018.
  • Recruiter, California Forum for Diversity in Graduate Education, English Department, 2017. 
  • Graduate Student Representative, English Graduate Student Association, 2016-2017.

Other Administrative Experience 

  • Program Manager, Mentor-Mentee Program in Humanities, Arts, Cultural Studies and Social Sciences, Undergraduate Research Center, 2019-2021.
  • Academic Advisor, Undergraduate Research Center, 2019-2021. 
  • Program Assistant, UC-HBCU SPLASH Program, with Professor Mark Jerng. UC Davis, 2016-2017.
  • Research Assistant, Play the Knave, with Professor Gina Bloom. UC Davis, 2016.

Professional Service 

  • SAA Conference Futures Committee, 2023-Present

Library & Museum Training 

  • Watcher Training. Newberry Library, Chicago. September 2023. 
  • Conservation Care and Handling Training. Newberry Library, Chicago. April 2023. 

Collaborative Institutions 

  • RaceB4Race Mentorship Network
  • #ShakeRace Reading Group
  • Digital Humanities Research Cluster, UC Davis.
  • Book History and Material Culture in the Digital Age, UC Davis. 
  • Early Modern Research Group, UC Davis.
  • McNair Alumni Network, UC Davis.
  • USD TRIO McNair Alumni Network, University of San Diego. 
  • The Tudor Plays Project, University of San Diego.

Professional Affiliations 

  • Shakespeare Association of America
  • Renaissance Society of America
  • Royal Studies Network
  • Historical Fiction Research Network
  • Fan Studies Network
  • Society for the Study of Early Modern Women

Languages 

  • English
  • Arabic
  • French
  • Tamazight