Nick was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the ARC Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions at The University of Queensland (UQ) from June 2017 to June 2018. His primary focus is on Shakespeare but connects this with interests in philosophy, religion and law. Nick began his studies at UQ, completing degrees in Arts and Law, before moving to Oxford as a Queensland Rhodes Scholar, where he completed an MSt and a DPhil in English literature. From mid-2018, he is teaching at the University of Hong Kong where he is an Honorary Assistant Professor. His book Shakespearean Arrivals: The Birth of Character was published by Cambridge University Press in 2018.
Shakespearean Arrivals explores the abiding power of Shakespeare’s tragedies by suggesting a new model of Shakespeare’s character creation. Rather than treating characters as presupposed beings, it shows how they arrive as something more than functional dramatis personae – how they come to life as ‘subjects’ – through Shakespeare’s orchestration of transformational dramatic events. The book turns to various thinkers who develop an ‘evental’ model of the subject, including the work of Alain Badiou and the ‘adventist’ Christian tradition that flows from Saint Paul through Luther to Kierkegaard.
Contact
nick.luke@gmail.com
Research
A Lawful Magic: A New World of Precedent in Mabo and Shakespeare’s Late Plays
‘Resurrection Events’ in Shakespeare’s Late Plays
Publication
Luke, N. Shakespearean Arrivals: The Birth of Character. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018.
Presentations
Luke, N. ‘Future Communities: Resurrection, Self and Politics in Shakespeare’s Late Plays’, Third International Conference of the ARC Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions ‘The Future of Emotions/Conversations Without Borders’, The University of Western Australia, 14–15 June 2018.
Luke, N. ‘Resurrection Events in Shakespeare’s Late Plays’, ‘Art and Resurrection’ workshop, UQ, 8 June 2018.
Luke, N. 'Resurrection Events’, in seminar 'Thinking Theology with Shakespeare', Shakespeare Association of America 46th Annual Meeting, Los Angeles, USA, 28–31 March 2018.
Luke, N. ‘The Animation of Evil: Demonic Life in Macbeth', CHE 'Art and Affect' Meanings Program Collaboratory, The University of Queensland, 12‒14 July 2017.
Education and Outreach
Luke, N. Presenter at 'Shakespeare Unfinished' Continuing Professional Development Seminar for teachers of English and Drama, UQ, 23 May 2018.
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