LCF PhD Researcher Profile: Cassandra Schreiber - myth, masculinity and costume
- Written byLCF Research
- Published date 25 January 2022
Continuing our PhD spotlight profile series, we caught up with this year's newly appointed PhD Student Representatives at London College of Fashion, UAL. Student Representatives advocate for the PhD student body and attend committee meetings with academic staff and research administrators to provide feedback on the PhD experience, which contributes to decisions related to procedures and policy.
Next up is Cassandra Schreiber, a fourth-year part-time PhD student based in Sweden, whose work focuses on cinema and costume. In her PhD thesis, she studies different versions of Robin Hood on screen, with the working title 'Robin Hood as palimpsest: myth, masculinity and costume through time, space and object'. She has a BA in Film Studies from Gothenburg University, where she became interested in costuming during her first year as an undergraduate, and further developed this during an MA in Film Studies at Glasgow University.
What do you hope to gain from your role as a student representative?
Through being a student representative, I hope to gain more insight into both the experiences of PhD researchers, as well as the processes within the college. Hopefully, I will be able to contribute to a more rewarding and less stressful time for PhD students, and in that way aiding my fellow PhD researchers in achieving their goals.
Describe a typical week for you.
As I’ve recently changed my mode of study from full-time to part-time, I am currently balancing my research with a part-time job outside of academia. My week thus consists of mornings spent at the office, and afternoons at the library. Weekends are spent at the cinema or in front of any Formula 1 television broadcast.
What is your favourite quote?
“Take from the rich, and give to the poor.”
My PhD research project on Robin Hood in cinema has not only taught me much about the cultural history and impact of the mythical outlaw, but his identifying statement has also taught me the importance of accessibility of information, democracy of knowledge and the right of all to be safe and respected within a community.
What TV series/book are you currently reading/watching?
Sara Ahmed’s "Living a Feminist Life" (book) – the perfect balance between identification and heartbreak in order to motivate and empower.
What would be your dream research project?
Anything that deals with the remaking, reconfigurations or reappearances of a character within culture. Maybe a lengthy study of James Bond when/if someone who isn’t a man is cast in the lead…
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Don’t be your own worst critic! There are always those who won’t agree with or understand your work, but in the end life is too short to waste energy on projecting them onto yourself.