A very warm ‘Hello’ to everyone! I’m Danielle Schwertner and I’ll be the SGSAH Blogger for the next few months.

I thought I’d take a post to properly introduce myself to our readers, so here goes! I’m a third-year (self-funded) PhD researcher at the University of Glasgow and am based in the School of Modern Languages and Culture. Through my PhD, I study how visual satire in an early nineteenth-century periodical called the Glasgow Looking Glass contribute to and reflect contemporary perceptions, misconceptions and stereotypes of gender and other identities. This basically means that I get to spend a lot of time analysing caricature prints from the Georgian period and deciphering their, sometimes obscure, references. I usually rely heavily on archives and special collections, so the global pandemic has been a little extra tough in that regard (solidarity to everyone who has faced similar obstacles this past year!).

Though I currently live in Glasgow, I’m originally from Texas in the United States. Being an international student for the past three and a half years has really made me more aware of the specific difficulties international students all over the world often face. So, if you’re also an international student in Scotland, I want you to feel as welcome and as represented in this blog as anyone else (even more solidarity to those of you who have had to ride out the pandemic in a different country from your family and/or loved ones. It’s been a painful year).

Because I just started last week, I wasn’t able to line up a post that properly recognises LGBT+ history month in the U.K. So, I’m taking some space here to recognise the LGBT+ scholars throughout Scotland and those whose research focuses on LGBT+ history, rights or works in any way. February isn’t the only month we can highlight your research or ideas, so please feel free to contact me at any point throughout the next six months if you’d like to write a guest post for the blog!

I also want to acknowledge that this past year has been difficult in ways I’m sure many of us could never have imagined. I hope this blog will continue to bring even the smallest of comforts to anyone who has felt alone, exhausted, anxious, sad or any of the myriad feelings that have accompanied the pandemic. You, your research and your ideas are always welcome here. One thing I’ve been missing throughout this year is conversations with fellow researchers. Therefore, I want to encourage readers to engage with posts through the comments section and on social media. I only ask that you remain respectful and courteous when doing so.

I’m so looking forward to conversing with my fellow PhD researchers throughout Scotland. As we attempt to leave winter behind us, may we find a spring and summer this year that are a little better, a little brighter, than the past.

Would you like to write a blog post for us? Email Danielle.Schwertner@glasgow.ac.uk and don’t forget to check out our twitter @sgsahblog!