Kate Ranson

Profile

I am an early‑career PhD researcher in Sociology, funded by the School of Sociology and Social Policy Doctoral Scholarship. My research examines how contemporary self‑defined witches engage with archival histories of the early modern witch trials to make sense of identity, memory and belonging. I work with archival materials to explore how narratives of persecution have been produced, recorded, reinterpreted and remythed, and how these histories shape contemporary meaning‑making.

Before starting my PhD, I completed an MA in Gender Studies at Leeds, where I focused on feminist theory, embodiment, and gendered discourse in media and politics. I also hold a BSc in International Relations and French from Aston University, where I developed early interests in gender, language and the politics of representation.

My broader research interests include feminist theory, historical discourse, identity formation and the politics of knowledge. I have experience working with regional archives and special collections, and, in a research assistant capacity, I have contributed to interdisciplinary projects on gender, religion and political representation. Prior to my doctoral studies, I worked as an English Language lecturer in higher education institutions in Bordeaux, France.

Research interests

My research interests centre on feminist theory, historical discourse and identity formation. I am particularly interested in how marginalised identities engage with, reinterpret and remake archival histories, including through folklore, mythic inheritances and the mythopoetic cycling of stories across time. I work with archival materials, material culture and narrative approaches to explore how stories of persecution, memory and belonging are produced, circulated and reimagined. Alongside this, I am interested in political communication and gendered media discourse, particularly representations of motherhood and non‑motherhood. More broadly, my work is shaped by questions about embodiment, gendered discourse, and the ways power operates through both historical records and contemporary cultural narratives.

Qualifications

• BSc International Relations and French
• MA Gender Studies
• Level 5 CELTA Certificate

Research groups and institutes

• Centre for Interdisciplinary Gender Studies