Doctoral Candidate Shiva Kazemi

Shiva is a doctoral candidate in the English Department at Heidelberg University, where she is pursuing her research under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Vera Nünning. Her research project focuses on travelogues written by British women who visited Iran during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Using approaches like ecocriticism, eco-orientalism, and cultural narratology, she explores how these texts reflect the intersections of gender, culture, and environment in colonial and postcolonial contexts. This project builds upon her master’s thesis, where she examined the portrayal of Persian women in similar travel accounts from the Victorian era. Shiva’s research interests center on how literature shapes and reflects cultural encounters, particularly between Iran and the West.

She earned her MA in English Literary and Cultural Studies from the University of Regensburg (supervised by Prof. Dr. Anne-Julia Zwierlein) and completed her BA in English Language and Literature in her hometown of Shiraz.

Besides her research, Shiva coordinates Professorinnenprogramm 2030 at the University of Mannheim, a nationwide initiative that promotes gender equality and diversity in academia by supporting women professors, increasing their representation in academic roles, and empowering female researchers as they pursue their academic careers.