Bringing together the fields of literary studies, medical humanities, death studies and bereavement studies, my PhD project examines the role of literature, and particularly the act of writing, in providing an insight, from maternal and paternal perspectives, into the traditionally unspoken experience that is the loss of a child. Focusing on the récit de deuil as an increasingly important genre in contemporary France, my thesis examines how literature generates knowledge of bereavement and loss, how writing impacts upon the healing process, and what all of this tells us about ongoing cultural shifts in French literary production.

Contemporary French Literature

Critical Medical Humanities

Cultures of Palliative Care

Death and Bereavement Studies

In 2018, Jordan received a BA, with first class honours in French and Spanish, from Queen's University Belfast. He then completed an MRes in French Studies, with a literary dissertation examining the role of religion and spirituality at the end of life, as presented in works of autobiography and autofiction. The dissertation addressed both palliative care settings and the impact of death and dying upon families. He was awarded his MRes, with distinction, in December 2019.

Jordan is currently in the first year of his PhD study. His doctoral research, funded by the AHRC, through the Northern Bridge Consortium DTP, examines the role of writing in the grieving and healing processes of those who have lost children through terminal illness or sudden, unanticipated death (suicide, road traffic accidents, terrorist attacks). The project involves an ongoing collaboration with ERRSPP in Brittany.