Dr Helen Hopkins
M4C Postdoctoral Research Fellow
After completing her PhD in international Shakespeare in the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust’s collections in 2021, Helen’s current research takes a broader approach to Shakespeare's role in global diplomacy, investigating how Shakespeare's cultural capital influences diplomatic responses and the potential for leveraging it for soft power.
Helen’s publications focus on how material objects can both challenge and perpetuate existing power structures, particularly through commemorative practices in a range of cultural institutions around the world. Her research highlights the ways in which these practices shape historical narratives, aiming to subvert dominant power dynamics and identify an inclusive, anti- and de-colonial form of cultural diplomacy that challenges Shakespeare's historical usage as a tool of cultural supremacy.