Rachel Eager
Email: r.eager.1@research.gla.ac.uk
https://orcid.org/0009-0001-8491-2159
Research title: The Emblem Vogue: Interrogating Stereotypes Across the Ages
Research Summary
My doctoral research explores the connections between Vogue magazine and emblem studies, analysing how Vogue can be understood as an emblematic structure. It examines representations of gender, race, and societal issues through Vogue's publications during 2020-2021, a period marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, #MeToo, and Black Lives Matter.
Other research interests include: 'The Hidden Curriculum', researcher development and the role of PGR internships, emblem studies, 'hidden' female emblematists.
Publications
2025
Eager, Rachel (2025) The Emblem Vogue: Revisiting Magazines in Emblem Studies. 13th International Conference of the Society for Emblem Studies, Vienna, Austria, 28 Jul – 02 Aug 2025.
Eager, Rachel (2025) The Women Emblem Studies Forgot - Reintroducing Emblematists: Maria Cosway, Margaret Gatty and Hannah Robertson. 13th International Conference of the Society for Emblem Studies, Vienna, Austria, 28 Jul – 02 Aug 2025.
Eager, Rachel (2025) An Introduction to the Emblem as a Short Form. Institute For World Literature 2025, Harvard University, Boston, USA, Jun - Jul 2025.
Eager, Rachel (2025) Jill Biden and Kamala Harris in Vogue: A Comparative Study of Political Representations of Women in the 17th and 21st Centuries. Institute For World Literature 2025, Harvard University, Boston, USA, Jun - Jul 2025.
Lazarte Elliot, Dely 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0711-5719, Gordon, Karen and Eager, Rachel
(2025)
The Hidden Curriculum: Exploring and Exposing Genuine Pedagogical Spaces in Doctoral Education.
PGR CommuniTEA Series, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, May 2025.
Gordon, Karen, Eager, Rachel, Royle, Joanna ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7177-1601 and Guccione, Kay ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9910-9388
(2025)
Navigating Multiple Dimensions of the Hidden Curriculum as Developers and Researchers.
In: Researcher Education and Development Scholarship Conference 2026, Online, 21-22 Jan 2026,
(Accepted for Publication)
2024
Eager, Rachel (2024) Building an academic CV: Internships. This PhD Life Conference, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, Jan 2024.
2023
Gordon, Karen and Eager, Rachel (2023) The value of internships as a doctoral learning mode [blog post]. [Website]
Eager, Rachel (2023) Blogging During Your PhD. This PhD Life Conference, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, Oct 2023.
Eager, Rachel, Gourlay, Elaine ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5025-6213 and Alarcon Lopez, Paola
(2023)
The importance of non-academic spaces in community building [blog post].
[Website]
Eager, Rachel (2023) Parallel Forms: Does Vogue Have the Same Effect as a Comic? 2023 Joint Conference of the International Graphic Novel & Comics and the International Bande Dessinée Society, University of Cambridge, UK, 03-07 Jul 2023.
Eager, Rachel (2023) Navigating student and staff status: a unique space [blog post]. [Website]
Eager, Rachel (2023) The joy of reading for pleasure [blog post]. [Website]
Eager, Rachel (2023) What I am learning and changing from attending conferences [blog post]. [Website]
2022
Eager, Rachel (2022) Things Nobody Talks About: Conference Edition. [Website]
Eager, Rachel (2022) Emblematic Aspects of Vogue in a Broader Context. 12th International Conference of the Society for Emblem Studies, Coimbra, Portugal, 25-30 Jul 2022.
Conference or Workshop Item
Eager, Rachel (2025) The Emblem Vogue: Revisiting Magazines in Emblem Studies. 13th International Conference of the Society for Emblem Studies, Vienna, Austria, 28 Jul – 02 Aug 2025.
Eager, Rachel (2025) The Women Emblem Studies Forgot - Reintroducing Emblematists: Maria Cosway, Margaret Gatty and Hannah Robertson. 13th International Conference of the Society for Emblem Studies, Vienna, Austria, 28 Jul – 02 Aug 2025.
Eager, Rachel (2025) An Introduction to the Emblem as a Short Form. Institute For World Literature 2025, Harvard University, Boston, USA, Jun - Jul 2025.
Eager, Rachel (2025) Jill Biden and Kamala Harris in Vogue: A Comparative Study of Political Representations of Women in the 17th and 21st Centuries. Institute For World Literature 2025, Harvard University, Boston, USA, Jun - Jul 2025.
Lazarte Elliot, Dely ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0711-5719, Gordon, Karen and Eager, Rachel
(2025)
The Hidden Curriculum: Exploring and Exposing Genuine Pedagogical Spaces in Doctoral Education.
PGR CommuniTEA Series, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, May 2025.
Eager, Rachel (2024) Building an academic CV: Internships. This PhD Life Conference, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, Jan 2024.
Eager, Rachel (2023) Blogging During Your PhD. This PhD Life Conference, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, Oct 2023.
Eager, Rachel (2023) Parallel Forms: Does Vogue Have the Same Effect as a Comic? 2023 Joint Conference of the International Graphic Novel & Comics and the International Bande Dessinée Society, University of Cambridge, UK, 03-07 Jul 2023.
Eager, Rachel (2022) Emblematic Aspects of Vogue in a Broader Context. 12th International Conference of the Society for Emblem Studies, Coimbra, Portugal, 25-30 Jul 2022.
Conference Proceedings
Gordon, Karen, Eager, Rachel, Royle, Joanna ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7177-1601 and Guccione, Kay ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9910-9388
(2025)
Navigating Multiple Dimensions of the Hidden Curriculum as Developers and Researchers.
In: Researcher Education and Development Scholarship Conference 2026, Online, 21-22 Jan 2026,
(Accepted for Publication)
Website
Gordon, Karen and Eager, Rachel (2023) The value of internships as a doctoral learning mode [blog post]. [Website]
Eager, Rachel, Gourlay, Elaine ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5025-6213 and Alarcon Lopez, Paola
(2023)
The importance of non-academic spaces in community building [blog post].
[Website]
Eager, Rachel (2023) Navigating student and staff status: a unique space [blog post]. [Website]
Eager, Rachel (2023) The joy of reading for pleasure [blog post]. [Website]
Eager, Rachel (2023) What I am learning and changing from attending conferences [blog post]. [Website]
Eager, Rachel (2022) Things Nobody Talks About: Conference Edition. [Website]
Grants
- Beatrix Whistler and James McNeill Whistler Travel Scholarship, 2025: Supported attendence and presentation at emblems conference, Vienna.
- Full Tuition Scholarship – Institute for World Literature (IWL) 2025, Harvard University.
Harvard University, Massachusetts, United States of America. - Allan Inglis Travel Scholarship, 2025: Supported participation at IWL, Harvard University.
- Society for the Study of French History Conference Bursary, 2025: Supported participation at IWL, Harvard University.
- University of Glasgow College of Arts Research Support Award, 2025: Supported participation at IWL, Harvard University.
- David Fleming-Brown Postgraduate Travel Scholarship, 2025. Report published: Supported participation at IWL, Harvard University.
- University of Glasgow College of Arts Research Support Award, 2023: Supported attendence and presentation at comics conference, Cambridge.
- Beatrix Whistler and James McNeill Whistler Travel Scholarship, 2023: Supported attendence and presentation at comics conference, Cambridge.
- University of Glasgow College of Arts Research Support Award, 2022: Supported attendence and presentation at emblems conference, Coimbra.
- Beatrix Whistler and James McNeill Whistler Travel Scholarship, 2022: Supported attendence and presentation at emblems conference, Coimbra.
Conferences
- 'The Women Emblem Studies Forgot - Reintroducing Emblematists: Maria Cosway, Margaret Gatty and Hannah Robertson', 13th Conference of the Society for Emblem Studies, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria, July-August 2025.
- 'Jill Biden and Kamala Harris in Vogue: A Comparative Study of Political Representations of Women in the 17th and 21st Centuries’, The Institute For World Literature, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, June-July 2025.
- 'An Introduction to the Emblem as a Short Form', The Institute For World Literature, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, June-July 2025.
- 'The Emblem Vogue: Revisiting Magazines in Emblem Studies', Road To Vienna III, 13th International Conference for the Society For Emblem Studies, May 2024.
- 'Building an academic CV: Internships', This PhD Life, University of Glasgow, Jan. 2024.
- This PhD Life, University of Glasgow January 2024 (Co-organised and chaired a panel).
- Works in progress: text/image storytelling -- a postgraduate roundtable as part of the Stirling Maxwell Centre Seminar Series (Co-organised and co-chaired).
- 'Blogging During Your PhD', This PhD Life, University of Glasgow, October 2023.
- 'Parallel Forms: Does Vogue Have the Same Effect as a Comic?', The 2023 Joint Conference of the International Graphic Novel & Comics and the International Bande Dessinée Society, University of Cambridge, July 2023.
- 'Emblematic Aspects of Vogue in a Broader Context', 12th International Conference for the Society For Emblem Studies, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal, July 2022.
Teaching
I am an Associate Fellow for the Advanced HE and teach on a variety of courses:
2023-2024
- Comparative Literature 1B (Graduate Teaching Assistant)
- French Culture 1 (Graduate Teaching Assistant)
- French Culture 2 (Graduate Teaching Assistant)
- The Top-Up Programme (Widening Participation Tutor for External Relations)
- Secondary school outreach talks across 6 institutions in and around Glasgow and the West Coast of Scotland on access to university and widening participation (Widening Participation Tutor for External Relations)
- Senior Phase Tutoring - 1to1 Tutoring for Higher English in collaboration with Glasgow City Council (Widening Participation Tutor for External Relations)
- University Experience Week (Widening Participation Tutor for External Relations)
- 'The European Emblem' Honours Course (Co-convener and Lecturer)
- 'Text/Image' Honours Course (Lecturer on a rotational basis)
- French Grammar and Translation Honours Course (Tutor)
2022-2023
- Comparative Literature 1B (Graduate Teaching Assistant)
- French Culture 1 (Graduate Teaching Assistant)
- French Culture 2 (Graduate Teaching Assistant)
- The Top-Up Programme (Widening Participation Tutor for External Relations)
- Secondary school outreach talks across 6 institutions in and around Glasgow and the West Coast of Scotland on access to university and widening participation (Widening Participation Tutor for External Relations)
- Designed and delivered a half-day technical training workshop to the Research Services Directorate on graphic design and communication and accessibility.
Additional Information
Publications
Editorial Work
- University of Glasgow Postgraduate Blog Editor and Contributor August 2022 - November 2023.
- The Kelvingrove Review, 'Place and Space', issue 19 (2022), University of Glasgow.
Blog Posts
- 'PGR ECR Spotlight: Rachel Eager', The Society for the Study of French History (August, 2025).
- 'The value of internships as a doctoral learning mode' The Auditorium (November, 2023).
- 'Navigating student and staff status: a unique space', The Auditorium (April, 2023).
- 'The importance of non-academic spaces in community building' The Auditorium (July, 2023)
- 'Reflections From The Outgoing Interns 22-23: From Rachel Eager (Comms)', UofGPGR Blog (November 2023).
- 'What I Am Learning And Changing From Attending Conferences', UofGPGR Blog (September 2023).
- 'The joy of reading for pleasure', UofGPGR Blog (June 2023).
- 'Things nobody talks about: Conference edition', UofGPGR Blog (December, 2022).
- 'This PhD Life 2022', UofGPGR Blog (November 2022).
Administration
- Co-convener of 'The European Emblem' Honours course 2023.
Academic Background
- MA French and Politics (Honours of the First Class), University of Glasgow, 2021.
- MPhil. Comp. Lit. Transferred to PhD, University of Glasgow, 2021-2022.
Projects and Affiliations
- The Graphix Project: Scottish Education Co-ordinator and Researcher.
- Member of the Stirling Maxwell Centre for Text and Image Studies at the University of Glasgow.
- PGR Representative for the Stirling Maxwell Centre for Text and Image Studies at the University of Glasgow, 2023-present.
- PGR Intern (Comms), UofG Researcher Development, 2022-2023
- Member of the Digital Cultural Heritage Catalyst.
Professional Memberships
- The Society For Emblem Studies
- British Comparative Literature Association
