Dr Jo Esra

I joined the Department of English and Creative Writing at Streatham in 2017 from the University of Exeter’s campus at Penryn in Cornwall.

My main field of research is interdisciplinary, concerned with early modern maritime literature and culture (maritime humanities).

Primary interests:

• pirates and piracy, particularly so-called 'Barbary' (North African based) piracy and captive-taking
• smugglers and smuggling
• the agency, activities, and emotional/religious experiences of 'ordinary' maritime communities
• sea/river scapes
• marine history

I can also supervise work on:

• the supernatural (witches, ghosts), folklore, the Gothic
• early modern bodies, emotions, and relationship to the environment
• history of mental illness/treatment
• Shakespeare
• Historical Cornwall/the West Country

I am a Senior Lecturer in Early Modern English and Culture, and Director of Student Experience for the Department of English and Creative Writing.