Emeritus Professor Dima Wannous

Dima was born and raised in Syria where she completed her undergraduate studies in English Literature at Damascus University.

Background

Dima moved to the UK in 2011 and started working as an English-Arabic translator/interpreter while studying MA English at the Open University. Her MA dissertation examined individuality and the prevalent stereotypes about the Middle Easterner in Middle Eastern war literature. In 2016, Dima joined Anglia Ruskin University as a PhD student in English and Media.

Spoken Languages

• Arabic
• English

Research interests

• Representation of gender and race in literature and media
• Cognitive criticism
• Children’s media / literature
• Discourse Analysis
• The Arabic novel

Dima’s current PhD research explores the representation of femininity in contemporary children’s fiction. Focusing on mainstream animated episodes available on new media platforms and radical children’s literature, her research is concerned with how a text uses ideologies of gender in order to shape its meaning. With the intention of examining the discursive construction of femininity through discourse as well as the cognitive strategies and processes involved during the production of discourse, this study engages with a synthesis of poststructuralist approach and cognitive literary criticism.

Qualifications

• Master of Arts in English, The Open University
• Postgraduate Diploma in Humanities, The Open University
• Bachelor of Arts in English, Damascus University