Willow White, PhD

Area of Study / Keywords

English Literature Eighteenth Century Feminism Women Writers Critical Indigenous Studies

About

Willow White is a feminist literary historian with an interdisciplinary research approach that traces the theatrical and literary works of both Indigenous and English women. She is the author of Feminist Comedy: Women Playwrights of London (University of Delaware Press, 2024), and co-editor of A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison (Broadview Press, 2022), the as-told-to biography of an eighteenth-century Seneca woman. Her current project, funded by a SSHRC Insight Development Grant, investigates Indigenous women playwrights in English performance contexts historically and contemporarily. 

Dr. White is of Métis and settler descent and is a proud member of the Métis Nation of Alberta. She has ancestral ties to Red River through the Inkster, Sutherland, Cook, and Anderson families. She welcomes emails and meetings with all Indigenous students at Augustana. You can learn more about resources for Indigenous students at Augustana here.

Research

Books

• Feminist Comedy: Women Playwrights of London, 1750-1800. University of Delaware Press,  2024. 

Edited Volumes

• A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison by James Seaver. Edited by Tiffany Potter and Willow White. Peterborough: Broadview Press, 2022. ISBN: 9781554815777.

Journal Articles and Chapters

• “Ancestors in the Archives: Decolonizing Archival Research.” ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts, 1640-1830 14, no. 2 (2024). https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/abo/vol14/iss2/19
• “Feminist Sensibilities: The Feud of Elizabeth Inchbald and Mary Wollstonecraft.” Eighteenth-Century Studies 55, no. 3 (2022): 299-315. DOI: 10.1353/ecs.2022.0019
• “Comic Collusion: Frances Burney’s The Witlings and the Mentorship of Arthur Murphy.” Women’s Writing 28, no. 2 (2021): 368-383. DOI: 10.1080/09699082.2020.1847823
• “An Extra-Illustrated Edition of Hannah More’s Florio.” In Many Women, Many Voices: Stories from the McGill Collections, edited by Nathalie Cooke et al., pp. 13-14. Montreal: ROAAr, 2018. ISBN 978-1-77096-224-8 

Book Reviews and Entries

• Review of British Enlightenment Theatre: Dramatizing Difference by Bridget Orr (Cambridge UP, 2019). Restoration Journal 48, no. 2 (2024), pp. 111-113.
• The Mogul Tale by Elizabeth Inchbald.” In The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Romantic-Era Women's Writing. Palgrave Macmillan, 2024.
• “The Witlings by Frances Burney.” In The Palgrave Encyclopedia of  Romantic-Era Women’s Writing. Palgrave Macmillan, 2024.
• “Inchbald (née Simpson), Elizabeth.” In The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Romantic-Era Women's Writing. Palgrave Macmillan, 2023.
• “The British Theatre by Elizabeth Inchbald.” In The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Romantic-Era Women's Writing. Palgrave Macmillan, 2023.
• Review of The World of Elizabeth Inchbald: Essays on Literature, Culture, and Theatre in the Long Eighteenth Century, ed. Daniel J. Ennis and E. Joe Johnson (UP Delaware). Eighteenth Century Fiction, 2023.
• Review of Lothario’s Corpse: Libertine Drama and the Long-Running Restoration 1700 – 1832 by Daniel Gustafson (Bucknell). Theatre Journal, 2023.

Teaching

My teaching philosophy is shaped by my identity as a Métis woman and Indigenous ways of learning grounded in recognition, listening, and respect. I embrace a relational pedagogy and accordingly, my classes tend to emphasize active participation and experiential learning outside the classroom. Since starting at Augustana in 2022, I have developed several courses in English and Indigenous literatures. While I use traditional assessment modes like tests and essays, I am always seeking to incorporate fresh, unique, and dynamic assignments and experiences. I am eager to show students that the study of literature can be diverse, inclusive, and exciting.

In 2023, I was awarded the U of A Provost's Award for Early Achievement of Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.

AUDRA 398 - Selected Topics

Advanced study of selected topics related to the theory, history, and practice of performance on stage or in secondary visual media. Prerequisite: AUDRA 230.

AUENG 207 - Indigenous Storytelling

Focuses on stories and storytelling by First Nations, Metis, and Inuit. Texts include oral and written literatures in the form of novels, poetry, drama, essays, personal narratives, and more. Themes will include traditional and contemporary perspectives on gender, culture, language, the land, and spirituality. Content, period, and national focus will vary. Prerequisites: one of AUENG 102, AUIND 101, or second-year standing.

AUENG 298 - Selected Topics in English Studies

Studies of selected authors, works, periods, topics, and critical approaches. Focus and content of each course are determined by student and instructor interests, and vary from year to year. Prerequisites: 3 units in English at the 100-level.

AUIND 101 - Introduction to Indigenous Studies

An introduction to historical and modern relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. This course investigates how Canada's history of anti-Indigenous policies (such as residential schools and the Sixties Scoop) have negatively impacted First Nations, Métis, and Inuit into the present. The course further highlights the resilience of Indigenous peoples through community organization, artistic and cultural expression, and the fight for self-determination. Note: Credit may be obtained for only one of AUIND 101 and AUIND 201 (2023).

AUIND 399 - Theories in Indigenous Studies

A senior level course dealing with the theoretical basis of indigenous studies with a focus on major theories and theoreticians found and/or used in indigenous studies, postcolonial studies and subaltern studies. Credit may be obtained for only one of AUIND 399 and 499. Prerequisites: One of AUIND 101, 201.

AUIND 490 - Directed Studies in Indigenous Studies

Directed studies in Indigenous Studies. Topics will vary from year to year depending on instructor and student interest. Prerequisites: Varies according to topic.

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