Join our panel, including Dr Jennifer Jackson-Preece and Manmit Bhambra of London’s School of Economics, and lecturer and author Dr Miriam Kent, for a discussion on the evolving depictions of young Muslim women in comics and popular culture. 

Using Marvel’s first teenage Muslim American superhero, Ms Marvel, as a conversation catalyst, alongside Kent’s new book Women in Marvel Films, the trio will take audiences on an exploration of identity, race and inclusion, highlighting the ways in which comics can act as a stimulant for wider social change. The discussion will be chaired by Journalist, Sarah Shaffi.

About The Speakers

Miriam Kent

Dr Miriam Kent is Lecturer in Film and Media at the University of Leeds. Her research a focuses on Marvel superheroes and comic book adaptation. She has taught a wide range of Film and Media Studies courses and published on superhero media with a particular interest in identity and diversity. Her book, Women in Marvel Films, was published in 2021 by Edinburgh University Press.

Jennifer Jackson Preece

Dr. Jennifer Jackson-Preece is Associate Professor of Nationalism at the London School of Economics and Political Science, with a joint appointment in the European Institute & Department of International Relations. Dr Jackson-Preece is an expert on nationalism, minorities and migration, and has published extensively on these topics in books, journals and blogs. She also has an established track record as a policy advisor to governments, international organisations and NGOs in the area of human and minority rights, and conflict prevention.

Manmit Bhambra Headshot

Manmit Bhambra

Educated at the LSE and the University of Oxford, Dr Manmit Bhambra holds an Oxford doctorate in Sociology. Her thesis explored how national identity is understood and experienced in multicultural contexts and the impact of this on minority groups in the United Kingdom. Manmit’s research interests are centred around identity politics and formation, ethnic, religious, and national identities as well as the broader themes of race, inclusion, and minority rights.  

Manmit works actively with youth organisations throughout the U.K. and is interested in issues facing young people today. She is Lecturer in Global Politics at Imperial College London and Policy Fellow at the LSE. 

About The Chair

Headshot of Sarah Shaffi

Sarah Shaffi

Sarah Shaffi is a freelance literary journalist and editor. She writes about books for Stylist Magazine online, is books editor at Phoenix, and is editor-at-large at independent publisher Little Tiger Group. She regularly chairs author events, and is co-founder of BAME in Publishing, a networking group for people of colour in publishing.