Aoife Miralles

I am currently reading for a DPhil in History at Christ Church, Oxford, where I completed a BA (Hons) degree in History and a MSt degree in British and European History, 1700-1850. Before commencing my studies in Oxford, I attended the Royal Academy of Music in London. My doctoral research investigates popular political culture in the eighteenth-century francophone world. It focuses on songs and singing practices in several regions within mainland France and its overseas territories, all differing in their languages, geographies, and political relationships. My project examines patterns of cultural performance during moments of political tension, and explores how these might contribute to our understanding of particular historical societies. It seeks to unveil a broader geographical and chronological history of popular involvement in politics, and, more generally, to suggest usable interdisciplinary methods to fill in the gaps left by the ephemerality of the sources in question and the lack of information about audience or reception. I am supervised by David Hopkin (Faculty of History) and Suzanne Aspden (Faculty of Music). My research is co-funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and Christ Church, Oxford.