Publications
Dr. Lewis Cusato writes daily and publishes regularly in two veins: Cultural studies of the French-speaking world and Connecting curricular work to careers.
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Her research in French Studies seeks to broaden and nuance current understanding of francophone Africa and the Caribbean by examining the ways in which some of these regions’ most well known literary and cultural works and figures have navigated a global market.
This work analyzes the transnational movements of contemporary cultural icons, literature, and film and the ways their representations, paratexts, reception, and meanings shift when they travel to be published, marketed, translated, read, or interpreted, as well as what roles are played by market mediators such as the publishing house, the critic, the cover artist, the publicist, and the translator.
Her work in French has helped scholars and students alike understand and appreciate the importance of marketing strategies in shaping what and how we read and watch; the culture industry’s powerful strategies in shaping perceptions of both authorial and cultural identity; and culture’s role in shaping ideals of nationalism and cosmopolitanism, and their respective limits.
Professor Lewis Cusato has published important studies of such authors and filmmakers as Merzak Allouache, Mustapha Benfodil, Tahar Ben Jelloun, Tahar Djaout, and others.
In addition, her work on connecting coursework with the pursuit of a meaningful and ethical career allows her to pair her dedication to the humanities with students’ more practical needs and concerns.
Dr. Lewis Cusato is currently working on her manuscript, tentatively entitled Multiculturalism à la mode: How Cultural Minorities and Americanization Are Shaping Contemporary French Identity on Screens, Pages, and Runways (1954-2021) as well as a collaborative project called Humanities at Work.
For a complete list of publications, see Dr. Lewis Cusato’s full CV here.