Hi,
My name is Anastasija Ropa, and I am currently post-doctoral researcher and lecturer.
I did my doctoral research at the School of English, Bangor University, UK, then went back to Latvia, where I am still affiliated to the University of Latvia, where I did my BA and MA. My doctoral research was in the Arthurian and Grail quest studies, and I analysed such issues as death, female authority and family and global history in medieval and modern versions of the Grail quest. I am now working as lecturer of English and translator at the Latvian Academy of Sports Education, and do academic research in my extra time. I also work as volunteer riding instructor and horse trainer.
I am presenting on aspects of medieval and modern literature and history, with particular interest in Arthurian Studies. This means I read a lot of romances, novels and even children’s books about King Arthur, Queen Guinevere, the Knights of the Round Table, and the Holy Grail. I try to make my research as multidisciplinary as possible, so I engage methodologies and theories from the following disciplines (to make it look grand): art history; ethnomusicology; translation studies; paleography; history of the book; sociology; anthropology; and existentialism.
My current projects are:
1) editing several publications on medieval equestrian history.
2) preparing papers on the animal turn in Arthurian literature for the International Arthurian Congress.
Have a look at my academic papers and talks on Academia or Researchgate.
thegrailquest 