Christine Feldman-Barrett’s (CCT 2003) Unique Path Takes Her on a Journey Around the World
Posted in News
Christine Feldman-Barrett’s (CCT ’03) academic and professional journeys have taken her on a number of thrilling adventures in various industries and corners of the world. Her global path began after the completion of a self-designed major in film and cultural studies at Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies at Western Washington University.
Upon graduating, Christine jetted off to explore Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand before moving to Los Angeles to pursue work in film production. However she soon discovered the city and profession were not the best fit for her. She pivoted and found herself in Portland, Oregon in 1997 working in the travel industry while also performing and recording indie rock music under the name Christine Darling. She was heavily involved in the music scene there and played concerts all along the West Coast until she moved to Washington, D.C in August 2001 to begin her CCT experience.
A key aspect of Christine’s journey is that she came to the CCT program eight years after graduating from college. Beginning graduate school at thirty, she was driven to do as well as she could, but admits that the gap in her education proved quite jarring at first and shook her self-confidence. Thanks to incredible professors like Diana Owen, Melissa Goldman, and Matthew Tinkcom, Christine’s will to succeed was restored and sustained. Given her efforts in the CCT program, they all encouraged her to pursue a PhD. Christine began a doctoral program at the University of Pittsburgh on the advice of Matthew Tinkcom, CCT director and UPitt alum.
At CCT, Christine was particularly interested in learning more about how communication technologies influence and inform culture. Her thesis, “Making Time: The Retro-Forward Logic of Mod Style,” looked at how various media depictions of British-born Mod culture and style had continued to influence youth culture practices well beyond their 1960s origins. At the University of Pittsburgh, she expanded on her CCT thesis under the supervision of noted media historian, Ronald J. Zboray. This continuation of her research would take her to Germany and Japan as a Fulbright scholar and University travel grant recipient, respectively.
The completion of her PhD in January 2009, which included a doctoral certificate in Cultural Studies, led to her first book, “We are the Mods”: A Transnational History of a Youth Subculture (Peter Lang, 2009). Subsequent publications, including an edited collection, Lost Histories of Youth Culture (Peter Lang, 2015), and a newly released monograph, A Women’s History of the Beatles (Bloomsbury Academic, 2021), continue to reflect that scholarly identity.
After two years as a Communication Lecturer at the University of New Hampshire, she was offered the position of Lecturer in Cultural Sociology at Griffith University in Queensland, Australia where she’s remained since 2011. Living in Australia has certainly been one of Christine’s favorite adventures and one in which she also met her British husband, Richard.
Christine invested fully in the CCT community and expresses gratitude for the people, opportunities, and experiences that she encountered on that part of her life journey. She still has fond memories of running a half marathon through Rock Creek Park with Prof. Owen’s running group (CCT Roadrunners), riveting discussions with classmates and professors, and more.
Christine’s path is an extraordinary example of how no CCTer’s experience is the same. That is the beauty of this program. That’s what makes our cohort of students past and present so incredible. We’re excited to see where Christine’s journey takes her next.