William Wright

My primary research interests lie in understanding the nexus of heritage, memory, and identity, with a focus on the role of myth and storytelling in mediating changes to the former. My PhD project draws upon my previous work on the pre-Christian period in Scandinavia and the 19^th century in the Western United States to present a diachronic understanding of the role of myth in shaping heritage and identity. Specifically, it seeks to investigate how myth and media are created to manage and alter heritage, memory, and identity drawing on the concepts of genre, mediality, and assemblage. Through its dissimilar comparison, my project aims to unsettle assumptions about the unique role of heritage and media in modern, industrial societies and to seek patterns of heritage interaction that extend beyond the well-studied, modern canon of the field.