Dilyana Mincheva ‘09, Ph.D. Cultural Studies, Bulgaria

Dilyana Mincheva came to Trent as an international student after earning her Master’s through the interdisciplinary study of society, culture and religion in Sofia, Bulgaria. Now as she receives her Doctor of Philosophy, she is also the recipient of the President’s Medal at Trent, awarded in recognition of academic excellence and achievement at the graduate studies level.  

Dilyana decided to enroll in Trent’s Cultural Studies program – the first stand-alone Ph.D. in North America – to immerse herself in the complex cultural study of contemporary modernity. “The Trent Department of Cultural Studies practices a distinct and unique ‘brand’ of critical thought and scholarship that encompasses literary studies, sociology, history and political science,” said Dilyana. “Today, after spending four incredible and intellectually rewarding years at Trent, I can say with confidence that the Department of Cultural Studies is an exciting interdisciplinary environment and a genuine knowledge project that has significantly reconfigured the traditional humanities and social sciences in about 35 years.  Trent is a unique space for conducting this type of research in the humanities and I doubt that it has a true rival in North America in that aspect.”

Through her studies at Trent, Dilyana participated in many research activities and conferences in Europe, North America and the Middle East. As her research interests include diasporic Islam, Dilyana’s dissertation introduces a new concept of the “Western-Islamic public sphere.” It is a case study in the literary, psychoanalytic, and theological encounters between diasporic Muslim intellectuals and secular Western modernity. Dilyana says, “The direction that my doctoral research took wouldn’t have been possible without the unique scholarly atmosphere of the Department of Cultural Studies, and the stimulating and intellectually challenging presence of my supervisor, Dr. Davide Panagia, and dissertational committee including Professor Emeritus John Fekete and Professor Emeritus Andrew Wernick.” Dilyana hopes to publish her dissertation as a book to contribute to scholarships and other projects established by the Cultural Studies Department at Trent.

Dilyana’s exceptional work has been supported by the Department of Graduate Studies with scholarships for excellence, bursaries and grants. She also received funding from the Canada Research Chair in Cultural Studies.  She recently received an International Award of Distinction through The Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Society for her doctoral research.  As an international student, Dilyana is an outspoken defendant of the rights of international students to ensure they receive proper educational funding. 

Dilyana is currently a postdoctoral visiting scholar in Comparative Politics and Cultures in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto. Her postdoctoral work examines identity, culture, politics and human rights within a Canadian context. In future she is planning to contribute her research expertise within a position in the academic field. “Trent educated me in the courage of intellectual and ethical involvement with the public spaces and discourses of contemporary modernity in the exact kind of setting I wish to continue my professional career,” she said.

Awards and Scholarships received at Trent University:

• President’s Medal  (2014)
• International Award of Distinction (2014)
• Ontario Graduate Scholarship for International Students (2012, 2013)
• Trent Cultural Studies Program Research and Travel Grants (2013)
• Trent Nominee for Vanier Scholarship (2012)