Founded in 2000, the British Association for Victorian Studies (BAVS) is a multi-disciplinary organisation dedicated to the advancement and dissemination of knowledge about the Victorian period. It has over 800 members, drawn from the academic community and the general public, in both the UK and abroad. Members have a wide range of interests in the nineteenth century, including art history, cultural studies, history, literary studies, performance studies and the history of science. BAVS hosts a major international conference each year and offers funding opportunities for members at any stage of their career to undertake research or organise events. For further details or information about joining BAVS, please see the website.

This blog, The Victorianist, is run by the postgraduate representatives of the Executive Committee with the aim of sharing information, links, and updates relevant to the membership of BAVS. Most of the postings take the form of calls for papers or articles and we welcome organisers sending us details of such opportunities. However, we also welcome additional content such as reviews, discussions, or opinion pieces from members – just get in touch if you’d like to write for us!

Marijke Valk (mxv426@student.bham.ac.uk) 

Marijke is an AHRC-funded PhD candidate at the University of Birmingham, researching the alchemical revival and the re-enchantment of science in Victorian fin de siècle fiction. Her broader research interests encompass pseudo-sciences, spiritualism, and the supernatural, with a particular focus on how occult traditions operate at the edges of scientific discourse within Victorian and Gothic literature. Her Twitter can be found at: @Marijke_Valk.

Lilyemma Whalley (lilyemma.whalley@qmul.ac.uk) 

Lilyemma is undertaking her PhD in English Literature at Queen Mary University of London. Her thesis examines how Victorian children’s literature cultivates a societal kindness towards the natural world, by presenting it as a form of home. Within this, she researches girlhood, petkeeping, illustrated children’s literature, fictional realms, and natural environments in the nineteenth century. Her Twitter can be found at: @LilyemmaWhalley.