Office no B 1-19 Magill Campus.
Jeanne-Marie Viljoen is a Senior Lecturer in literary and cultural studies, whose research coalesces around literary trauma studies, specifically using decolonial comics in contexts of violence as primary data. She has worked at UniSA for the last ten years and before that worked at universities in North Cyprus and South Africa, where she developed lived experience of living in contested colonial contexts. In the Creative Academic Unit she teaches visual storytelling across media as a way of solving social problems and imagining new futures for diverse, cohesive societies.
As an advocate for art to facilitate communication in contexts where language cannot capture all we want to say, she also supervises interdisciplinary research... Read more
About me
Jeanne-Marie Viljoen is a Senior Lecturer in literary and cultural studies, whose research coalesces around literary trauma studies, specifically using decolonial comics in contexts of violence as primary data. She has worked at UniSA for the last ten years and before that worked at universities in North Cyprus and South Africa, where she developed lived experience of living in contested colonial contexts. In the Creative Academic Unit she teaches visual storytelling across media as a way of solving social problems and imagining new futures for diverse, cohesive societies.
As an advocate for art to facilitate communication in contexts where language cannot capture all we want to say, she also supervises interdisciplinary research theses and works on creative practice and co-design research projects such as supporting neurodiverse comics creators and using creative methods to help prevent suicide in culturally and linguistically diverse men in farming occupations.
In addition, her work on mobile learning has lead to research projects and teaching tools designed to bridge the gap between the physical and the digital in the design of learning environments. And her work on communicating wellbeing and belonging in situations of high cultural and linguistic diversity has lead to successful research collaborations and grants.
She is a member of the ‘Creative People, Products and Places (CP3’) research concentration at the University of South Australia. She is an Australian Research Council expert peer reviewer for grant applications, an international research associate and external examiner for international universities and a regular reviewer for international publications focusing on comics in decolonial contexts. She is also a member of the following professional organisations: The Australian Literary Studies Association; The Memory Studies Association and The Cultural Studies Association of Australasia.
About me
2023 - present, reviewer for at de arte Journal (for decolonisation, art & comic books).
2022- present, member of the Association for the study of Australian Literature
2020 – member, Memory Studies Association
2016 – present, reviewer for Social Identities Journal (UK)
2016 – present, member of Cultural Studies Association of Australasia & reviewer for 'Continuum'
2012 – present, reviewer for English Academy Review (RSA)
About me
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 28/12/2023 |
Charl Blignaut Arts, Culture & Society Editor at The Conversation Africa reached out to ask what's not to love about Marvel's Black Panther film franchise., https://theconversation.com/black-panther-wakanda-forever-and-the-problem-with-hollywood-an-african-perspective-219232 |
About me
Doctor of Philosophy University of South Australia
Master of Arts University of Pretoria
Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults University of Cambridge
Bachelor of Arts University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
Honours Bachelor of Arts University of South Africa
English Studies lecturer, University of South Africa, 2011- 2012
Reading & writing facilitator, University of South Africa, 2010 - 2011
Research Assistant, Witwatersrand Institute for Social & Economic Research, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2009-2010
Learning materials developer, Unit for Distance Education, University of Pretoria, South Africa, 2002 - 2008
Lecturer in English literature & instructional design, Girne American University, North Cyprus, 2007
Current grant funded research projects:
Arts & Health Alliance Grant funded project – Supporting Neurodivergent Comics Creators (with WritersSA, Dr Jessica White, AProf Kylie Cardell, Jessica Alice, AProf Lydia Woodyett, Dr Aaron Humphrey, Ms Jo Mignone, Dr Katerina Bryant, Dr Edith Hill).
Wellbeing SA funded project - Tailoring Suicide Prevention Strategies to Men inFarming Occupations (with Prof Lia Bryant, Dr Rosie Roberts, Dr David Radford & Dr Donovan Doreen).
Research
Excludes commercial-in-confidence projects.
2024. Completed supervising a vacation research scholarship recipient doing research on ‘Supporting Neurodiverse Comics Creators’.
Research
Research outputs for the last seven years are shown below. Some long-standing staff members may have older outputs included. To see earlier years visit ORCID, ResearcherID or Scopus
Open access indicates that an output is open access.
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2024 |
Open access
|
| 2024 |
Open access
|
| 2023 |
Open access
52
|
| 2022 |
Open access
1
1
|
| 2021 |
Viljoen, J-M 2021, War comics: a postcolonial perspective, Routledge, UK.
4
|
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2021 |
Viljoen, J-M 2021, War comics: a postcolonial perspective, Routledge, UK.
4
|
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2022 |
Open access
|
| 2016 |
1
|
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2024 |
Open access
|
| 2024 |
Open access
|
| 2023 |
Open access
52
|
| 2022 |
23
14
|
| 2022 |
Open access
1
1
|
| 2022 |
Open access
52
|
| 2021 |
8
5
1
|
| 2019 |
Open access
2
1
|
| 2015 |
|
| 2015 |
2
1
|
| 2014 |
6
3
|
| 2013 |
4
|
Press article
Black Panther, Wakanda Forever & the problem with Hollywood: an African perspective, published in The Conversation Africa (2023).
Book
2010. English for Life : Grade 10 Home Language; Authors: Therona Moodley, Jeanne-Marie Viljoen, Felicity Horne, Ian Butler & Megan Howard published by Best Books NB Uitgewers / Publishers, Pretoria and Cape Town.
Book chapter
2007. The Use of Mobile Phone Technology for Student Support by Johan Hendrikz & Jeanne-Marie Viljoen in ‘An Anthology of “Best Practices” in Teacher Education’ edited by T. K. S. Lakshmi, K. Rama and Johan Hendrikz. Published by The National Assessment & Accreditation Council (NAAC)of India and The Common Wealth Of Learning.
Journal article
Dec 2004. Special Edition of Perspectives in Education Transforming learning through technology: the case of using SMSs to support Distance students in South Africa by JM Viljoen, CS du Preez and A Cook, Vol 23 No 4.
Report
2022. Viljoen, J.-M., Miller, E., & Arya, V. An investigation of international undergraduate students’ wellbeing and sense of belonging at the University of South Australia: research report. University of South Australia. https://doi.org/10.25954/gn92-ba56
Doctoral thesis
Conferred in 2016 by the School of Communications, International Studies & Languages at the University of South Australia, entitled: Smearing Ash on the Wall: the ineffable, violence and trauma in graphic narratives of war.
Master's thesis
Conferred in 2009 by the Department of Philosophy at the University of Pretoria, entitled: Playing with the Subject: Writing in Greenaway's 'The Pillow Book' & in Kafka's 'The Penal Colony'.
Research
Current grant funded research projects:
Arts & Health Alliance Grant funded project – Supporting Neurodivergent Comics Creators (with WritersSA, Dr Jessica White, AProf Kylie Cardell, Jessica Alice, AProf Lydia Woodyett, Dr Aaron Humphrey, Ms Jo Mignone, Dr Katerina Bryant, Dr Edith Hill).
Wellbeing SA funded project - Tailoring Suicide Prevention Strategies to Men inFarming Occupations (with Prof Lia Bryant, Dr Rosie Roberts, Dr David Radford & Dr Donovan Doreen).
2024 Appointed as Resarch Associate for University of South Africa, Department of Art and Music.
2023, Organised national research workshop - in collaboration with CP3 & Dr Jessica White on health humanities (15 November 2023, UniSA Adelaide)bringing together creative practitioners, researchers, HDRs & community groups working in disability, mental health, and/or chronic illness.
2023, Organised exhibition & master class – with Dr Nkosinkulu, Z.Z. Painting Lecturer in the Department of Fine and Studio Arts, Faculty of Arts and Design, Tshwane University of Technology, City of Tshwane, South Africa. Auditory and visual odyssey into Xhosa culture: [jazz music, painting, drawings, poetry]. Exhibited at UniSA SASA Gallery Adelaide (14-15 September 2023)
2023, Organised international hybrid research symposium - in collaboration with CP 3, Dr Aaron Humphrey (JM Coetzee Centre of Creative Practice, University of Adelaide), Graphic Horizons and The Future of Comics in an Intermedial World (14-15 September 2023) (with keynote by Sam Wallman, award-winning graphic novelist & arts activist).
2022, presented paper ‘Using an affective feminist lens on form to expand imagination in the Oqaluttuaq graphic narratives of the Arctic’ by invitation at the ‘Gender, Identity & Embodiment Seminar Series Hosted by the Department of English Studies, University of South Africa (Sept 2022)’
External engagement & recognition
| Organisation | Country |
|---|---|
| Jyväskylä University | FINLAND |
| University of South Australia | AUSTRALIA |
External engagement & recognition
| Engagement/recognition | Year |
|---|---|
Australian Research Council Grant Application Peer ReviewerAustralian Research Council |
2025 |
International Research AssociateDepartment of Art and Music at the University of South Africa |
2025 |
Australian Research Council Grant Application Peer ReviewerAustralian Research Council |
2024 |
International Research AssociateDepartment of Art and Music at the University of South Africa |
2024 |
Australian Research Council Grant Application Peer ReviewerAustralian Research Council |
2023 |
Opening speaker - ‘Gender, Identity & Embodiment Seminar Series’.Department of English Studies, University of South Africa. |
2022 |
Certificate for Education Innovation for the outstanding contribution made towards education innovation in mobile learningUniversity of Pretoria |
2006 |
2024 Appointed as Resarch Associate for University of South Africa, Department of Art and Music.
023 - present, Research Grant Expert Peer Assessor, Australian Research Council.
External Examiner Engagements:
2024 – External examiner for PhD thesis, Department of Visual Arts (Visual Culture & Media), University of Pretoria, titled: 'We’re Digging the Future: Afro-future Mining in Africa', supervised by Dr RF Du Plessis.
2023 – External examiner for PhD thesis, Department of English, University of Pretoria, titled: ‘Using Plain Language for more effective interdisciplinary science communication’ , supervised by Dr I Noomé.
2020– External examiner Master of Arts Research Artefact- Exegesis, Flinders University, titled "Creating a realistic visual style in the production of a graphic novel ‘DEMONS’", supervised by Dr T Barnett.
2018 – External examiner for Master of Arts thesis, Department of English Studies, University of South Africa, titled: ‘Art Designs in Life: Explorations of Leaders’ Impact on Society using MacBeth and Colonel Muammar Qaddafi’s Grand Tragic Fall’, supervised by Prof ZT Motsa.
2019 Teaching award commendation, UniSA Education, Arts & Sciences.
Award for Education Innovation for the outstanding contribution made towards education innovation (mobile learning) at the University of Pretoria, 2006.
Recent higher degree by research supervision completions:
Recent Honour's thesis supervision completions:
Teaching & student supervision
Teaching & student supervision
Supervisions from 2010 shown
| Thesis title | Student status |
|---|---|
| Ecocriticism and fantasy fiction: the importance of cli-fi in a climate crisis | Current |
| Looking up, looking down: Investigating how an eclectic approach to source material, methodology and methods can function within a contemporary painting practice that responds to memory, place, and history in Tarntanya/Adelaide. | Current |
| Queering the fat body: The impact of fatness on queer identities | Current |
| The Magic, the Mundane, and "The Echo of (Im)Mortality" | Current |
| Translating liberal colonialism through Carlo Lucarelli¿s Albergo Italia | Current |
| The abject and affective body: écriture féminine in Enright's novels | Completed |
| The Turtle Moves: how Terry Pratchett¿s Discworld does vernacular theory | Completed |
| Unmasking the provocatrix: engaging the clandestine literacies of l'écriture kinesthésique to neuroqueer creative writing research | Completed |
| Unveiling the subaltern: an investigation through recent Iranian women's writing | Completed |
| Using a fictional micronation to explore issues in a future Australia | Completed |
