Lisa Downing (; born 1974) is an

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

and academic. She is

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

of French Discourses of Sexuality at the

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

. Downing's work is innovative in its dialogue between the critical humanities and the sciences, especially psychiatry. Her published work focuses principally on theories of sexual perversion and queer theory; the work of

Michel Foucault Paul-Michel Foucault (, ; ; 15 October 192625 June 1984) was a French philosopher, historian of ideas, writer, political activist, and literary critic. Foucault's theories primarily address the relationship between power and knowledge, and how ...

; ethical philosophy and film; and, most recently, the cultural meanings of criminality.

Background and career

Downing trained in Modern European Languages and Literatures at the Universities of London and

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. She took up a Lectureship at

Queen Mary, University of London , mottoeng = With united powers , established = 1785 – The London Hospital Medical College1843 – St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College1882 – Westfield College1887 – East London College/Queen Mary College , type = Public researc ...

in 1999, where she was promoted to

Reader A reader is a person who reads. It may also refer to: Computing and technology * Adobe Reader (now Adobe Acrobat), a PDF reader * Bible Reader for Palm, a discontinued PDA application * A card reader, for extracting data from various forms of ...

in 2005. She was appointed to a chair at

the University of Exeter , mottoeng = "We Follow the Light" , established = 1838 - St Luke's College1855 - Exeter School of Art1863 - Exeter School of Science 1955 - University of Exeter (received royal charter) , type = Public , ...

in 2006, at the age of 31. In 2012, Downing moved to an established chair at the University of Birmingham. She is one of co-organisers of the interdisciplinary seminar series "Critical Sexology".

Awards

Downing received a 2009

Philip Leverhulme Prize The Philip Leverhulme Prize is awarded by the Leverhulme Trust to recognise the achievement of outstanding researchers whose work has already attracted international recognition and whose future career is exceptionally promising. The prize schem ...

, a prize "awarded to outstanding scholars under the age of 36 who have made a substantial contribution to their field of study, are recognised at an international level, and whose future contributions are held to be of correspondingly high promise."

Works

;Books as author * ''Desiring the Dead: Necrophilia and Nineteenth-Century French Literature'' (Oxford, EHRC, 2003) * ''Patrice Leconte'' (French Film Directors Series; Manchester University Press, 2004) * ''The Cambridge Introduction to Michel Foucault'' (Cambridge University Press, 2008) * ''Film and Ethics: Foreclosed Encounters'' (co-authored with Libby Saxton; Routledge, 2009) * ''The Subject of Murder: Gender, Exceptionality, and the Modern Killer'' (Chicago University Press, 2013) * ''Fuckology'' (Chicago University Press, 2014) co-authored with Iain Morland and Nikki Sullivan, a critical analysis of the legacy of

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how indi ...

and

sexologist Sexology is the scientific study of human sexuality, including human sexual interests, behaviors, and functions. The term ''sexology'' does not generally refer to the non-scientific study of sexuality, such as social criticism. Sexologists app ...

John Money John William Money (8 July 1921 – 7 July 2006) was a New Zealand psychologist, sexologist and author known for his research into sexual identity and Sex determination and differentiation (human), biology of gender. He was one of the first ...

. ''

New Scientist ''New Scientist'' is a magazine covering all aspects of science and technology. Based in London, it publishes weekly English-language editions in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. An editorially separate organisation publishe ...

'' described the book as "ably capturing" Money's story while

Susan Stryker Susan O'Neal Stryker (born 1961) is an American professor, historian, author, filmmaker, and theorist whose work focuses on gender and human sexuality. She is a professor of Gender and Women's Studies, former director of the Institute for LGBT Stu ...

described the book as a "careful, critical and nuanced" analysis of Money's career. ;Books as editor * ''Currencies: Fiscal Fortunes and Cultural Capital in Nineteenth-Century France'' (with Sarah Capitanio, Paul Rowe and Nick White; Peter Lang, 2005) * ''Perversion: Psychoanalytic Perspectives/ Perspectives on Psychoanalysis'' (with Dany Nobus; Karnac Books, 2006) * ''Birth and Death in Nineteenth-Century French Culture'' (with Nigel Harkness, Sonya Stephens and Tim Unwin; Rodopi, 2007) * ''From Perversion to Purity: The Stardom of Catherine Deneuve'' (with Sue Harris; Manchester University Press, 2007) * ''Queer in Europe: Contemporary Case Studies'' (with Robert Gillett; Ashgate, 2011)

References

External links

* *
'Selfish women and other inconvenient deviants', Lisa Downing's inaugural lecture video
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Downing, Lisa Year of birth missing (living people) English literary critics Women literary critics Literary critics of French Members of Academia Europaea Alumni of St Cross College, Oxford Living people Academics of the University of Birmingham Alumni of Queen Mary University of London British women writers