Vivan Steemers

Photo of Vivan Steemers
Vivan Steemers
Professor of French
Office: 
(269) 387-3019
Fax: 
(269) 387-6333
Location: 
517-B Sprau Tower, Mail Stop 5338
Mailing address: 
Department of World Languages and Literatures
Western Michigan University
1903 W Michigan Ave
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5338 USA
Office hours: 

By appointment

Education: 
  • Ph.D., French Language and Literature, Michigan State University, 2007
  • M.A., Comparative Literature, Radboud University Nijmegen, 1983
  • B.A., French Language and Literature, Radboud University Nijmegen, 1980
Teaching interests: 
  • Business French
  • French and Francophone literature and culture
  • Translation and translation theory
Research interests: 
  • Francophone Sub-Saharan literature and its reception
  • Postcolonial theory
  • Translation theory
Bio: 

Dr. Vivan Steemers is an assistant professor and advisor of French in the Department of World Languages and Literatures at Western Michigan University.

Steemers joined the department in the fall of 2008. Her book "Le (néo)colonialisme littéraire: quatre romans africains face à l'institution littéraire parisienne" (1950-70) was published in 2012 (Karthala, Paris). Her articles on Francophone African literature and translation have appeared in journals such as "Research in African Literatures," "Présence Francophone" and "The Rocky Mountain Review." She has also contributed a chapter titled "Reading and Teaching in Translation" to "Teaching Literature of Today's Middle East" (editor Allen Webb, Routledge, 2011).