I am a Canadian MA student in the Department of History at the University of Guelph, privileged to be working under the advisement of Dr. Ben Bradley, a historian of the cultural and environmental history of 20th-century Canada.

My SSHRC-funded thesis investigates the history of domestic marginalia—written markings and inscriptions made by occupants in private domestic spaces—and demonstrates this phenomenon as an enduring cultural practice spanning multiple eras and across cultures and classes. My thesis focuses primarily on the time period between 1800-2000 and examples found in vernacular dwellings, as well as the mentions of domestic marginalia in literature and popular culture.

The interdisciplinary nature of this research engages historical archeology, material culture, histories of domestic life, folklore, and heritage preservation of vernacular architecture in Canada. I also draw from literary and material culture theory, and using phenomenological approaches to demonstrate the relationship between domestic spaces and the behaviours enacted within them, and because of them.

My academic life was preceded by a career in hospitality and food writing. I enjoyed the hustle, but enjoyed even more when there were opportunities to feed my bigger curiosities of culinary history, and how food is a marker of culture and key player in the human story. Adjacent to my thesis I am interested in 20th century culinary history, cookbooks as primary sources, biographies of women food writers, the intersection of food and memory, and the material culture of domestic spaces.

As one of the first cohort of graduates of the Culture & Technology Studies program at the University of Guelph, digital humanities is a key element in much of my work, and my thesis proposes a digital archive of domestic marginalia examples for continued research and preservation. While I complete my thesis I’m also working on Without It We Die, a hypertext fiction on food and memory, and an ongoing writing project on the history of buffet dining.

I would love to hear feedback on my work and please do leave your comments and thoughts on the project pages.

Thanks for stopping by!

K.