Student Spotlight: Carine Schermann

Carine Schermann, a sixth-year doctoral candidate studying Francophone and Caribbean Studies through the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics, plans to graduate in Spring 2026. She earned a bachelor’s degree in literature in 2010 and a master’s in political science and international relations in 2012, respectively at Paris IV-Sorbonne University, then Institut Catholique de Paris, in France. Schermann came to FSU to begin her doctoral studies in 2021 after working for the Fondasyon Konesans ak Libète (Knowledge and Freedom Foundation), a cultural and social center in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. In recognition of her innovative research, Schermann earned the African and African Diaspora Studies Program Dissertation Fellowship from Boston College, a more than $30,000 award allowing her to spend the 2025-2026 academic year teaching and researching at BC’s campus in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.

Tell us about your background, where you’re from and what brought you to FSU.

I’m French and Congolese, and I grew up in different countries across Africa. While working in Haiti, I became interested in FSU’s French program and the Winthrop-King Institute for Contemporary French and Francophone Studies’ deep engagement with African and Caribbean Studies, leading me to FSU for my doctorate.

What inspired you to pursue a degree in the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics?

The French program’s expansive approach to Francophone Studies seemed like the perfect opportunity to connect my literature, political science and international relations backgrounds.

My decision also had a personal aspect. I wanted to stay connected to Haiti, the Caribbean, and the political and social realities that shape the lives of communities I still feel connected to, and want to keep learning from, thinking with and contributing to.

Break down your areas of research for us.

My research explores contemporary artistic and literary work from the Caribbean, particularly Haiti and the Dominican Republic. I examine how Afro-descendant creators use creativity and mythmaking, to engage with memory and push back against colonial borders – both literally and symbolically. I’m drawn to how artists and writers respond to histories of violence and erasure, not just by documenting them, but by creating space for something else.

I work across literature, visual art and film, following how these forms speak to the ongoing weight of colonialism, environmental breakdown and racism. I’m most interested in how these works carry memory forward while also opening up possibilities: ways of thinking, feeling, and being that don’t necessarily fit within dominant frameworks.

Tell us about earning the African and African Diaspora Studies Program Dissertation Fellowship.

I’m truly grateful and honored to receive this opportunity. This fellowship affirms the relevance of my dissertation, “Shapeshifting Bodies, Morphing Landscapes: Anti-Colonial Resistance in Haitian Dominican Mythmaking,” and reinforces its importance within the field of Black studies.

Being part of a program so committed to interdisciplinary and socially engaged scholarship feels like the right environment to push my research further. I’m looking forward to deeply focusing on my dissertation and the opportunity to connect with scholars I admire while in residency at BC. I’m also excited to design and teach a course rooted in my dissertation research there. It’s a unique opportunity to bring the themes I care about into the classroom, and to continue growing as a teacher and scholar.

What aspects of your study do you find most rewarding?

I find it rewarding to engage with art and literature as objects of academic inquiry but fundamentally as active and evolving cultural practices that speak to the experiences of communities I care about.

I’m also drawn to the interdisciplinary nature of my work, which lets me move among academic writing, creative exploration, and collaboration with artists, scholars, and even people outside traditional academic spaces. Being able to think across mediums and geographies, and to connect research with lived realities and creative expression, is what keeps the work meaningful for me – both intellectually and personally.

Tell us about earning the 2023 Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowship for your research in the humanities and interpretive social sciences.

The Mellon/ACLS Fellowship, and the application process, pushed me to experiment with my dissertation’s conceptual framework and explore new methodologies. I participated in visual anthropology and documentary filmmaking trainings and had the opportunity to attend international art exhibitions. It was a pivotal year of growth that allowed me to expand the scope of my research and explore new methods of inquiry and expression.

What on-campus resources have helped you achieve success?

My main adviser, committee members and mentors have been incredible. They’re generous with their time and always willing to read an application, a draft chapter, or even experimental writing. Their feedback has been consistently thoughtful, supportive, and grounded in deep care for the work. It’s made a huge difference in how I’ve grown throughout the process.

Other key resources include the Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards' grant-writing workshops and the Department of English’s Reading and Writing Center. Bouncing ideas off of others and receiving feedback to sharpen my writing was very helpful.

What are your current goals or projects?

My main focus is completing my dissertation –– which, as anyone in grad school knows, is both a full-time job and a personality trait at this point!

I’m also in the post-production phase of a short documentary I co-directed this summer in the Dominican Republic, at the northern border with Haiti. The film is closely tied to my research, but it takes a more poetic and collaborative approach than traditional academic writing. It’s been a powerful way for me to engage with my subject matter through a different lens and explore alternative forms of storytelling and knowledge-sharing.

Following graduation, what are your plans?

I’ll miss FSU’s support and community, but I’m excited about what’s next. I’m hoping to continue researching, teaching and collaborating. My dream job would combine a few elements: academia, creative work and community engagement.