Having worked as an assistant lecturer for two years, I joined the MMU politics section in 2017. My research interests focus on international relations theory using narrative and literary approaches. Specifically I focus on fairy tales, Gothic fiction and diaries to explore ways of challenging epistemic violence. Outside of work I enjoy gardening, cooking and food preservation, the social history of food and everyday household objects, and a variety of textile crafts.
I enjoy teaching, and particularly enjoy engaging with students to find out why they are interested in international relations. My research focuses on how to make the process of knowing about the world more accessible and teaching is thus an integral part of this.
I ask a lot of questions about what you're interested in, why you want to study and what it is about the world that you find the most interesting or the most frustrating. I will then help you to explore how your coursework will give you the theoretical foundations to engage with what interests you the most. I leave a lot of space for students to reflect and expect students to engage with the academic community and each other to challenge each other and themselves.
PhD Politics and International Relations, Manchester University
Msc(Econ) International Relations, The University of Wales, Aberystwyth
BA International Relations, The University of Southern California
Native English
Intermediate French
Beginner Spanish
Beginner Russian
International Relations Foundation Year
Global Chronicles
International Relations Theory I & II
Politics of the Arts
I'm interested in supervising projects in the following area:
Narrative and literary approaches to International Politics
Critical and poststructuralist International Politics
Critical approches to the IR canon
Critical and poststructuralist theory
The politics of storytelling
Literary approaches to IR and international politics
The politics of narratives and storytelling
Kathryn Starnes (2016) Fairy Tales and International Relations: A Folklorist Reading of IR Textbooks. Routledge.
Ian Bruff and Starnes, Kathryn (2019) "Framing the neoliberal canon: resisting the market myth via literary enquiry." Globalizations Volume 16, Issue 3. https://doi.org/10.1080/14747731.2018.1502489