Katherine Morton
I completed my undergraduate studies in 2009 at The University of Manchester, graduating with a First Class BA (Hons) in Geography. During my undergraduate study I was awarded the opportunity to study abroad at The University of Melbourne for one semester as part of my second year. This provided a wealth of opportunities to broaden my geographical interests, and included modules on Australian cultural history, ecology, and society and environment relations. My undergraduate dissertation was entitled 'For Home and Country: The Women's Institute and Performances of Rurality'. This research engaged with feminist geographies, addressing themes of community, nostalgia and domesticity in the performance of rural femininities.
Having been awarded an AHRC studentship I continued my academic study on the MRes Critical Human Geographies at The University of Exeter, graduating in 2010 with Distinction. During this time I developed a greater in interest in cultural geographies of embodiment and performance, culminating in a masters dissertation entitled 'Performing the Impossible Object: Affective Ethnographies of Stand-Up Comedy'. This creative work explored the affective atmospheres of stand-up comedy performances through auto-ethnography, and foccussed particularly on performances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. I am currently developing this research into a journal article.
I was awarded a three-year AHRC studentship to continue my post-graduate study at The University of Exeter, which commenced in September 2010. My PhD research is engaged in feminist geographies of the body, exploring issues of performativity and materiality in gendered practices of anti-ageing. I am active member of the Natures, Materialities and Biopolitics Research Group, and assist in the teaching of undergraduate studies.
