Projects per year
Personal profile
Expertise
Kayra Maes obtained a Multilingual MA in Literary Studies: English and Spanish from Vrije Universiteit Brussel in 2023 and is currently completing an Advanced Master in Literary Studies at KU Leuven. She has gained research experience through her participation in the competitive, extracurricular "Talent for Research" programme at VUB. Kayra is currently preparing a funding application with the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) for a PhD project on the representation of care in contemporary Black British children's literature; a project for which she is currently already receiving interim funding from VUB for one year (2024-2025). Her research interests include children's and young adult literature, Black British literature, contemporary literature, ethics of care, childism, and notions of community.
Projects
- 1 Active
Research output
- 1 Poster
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The Power to Overcome? A Case Study on the Representation of Heroic Communities of Care in Patience Agbabi's 'Leap Cycle' Series
Maes, K., 20 Apr 2024, (Unpublished).Research output: Unpublished contribution to conference › Poster
Prizes
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Multilingual Master Award for Literary Studies
Maes, Kayra (Recipient), 2 Oct 2023
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Activities
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Sharing is Caring: The Generation-Crossing Potential of Shared Play in Contemporary Black British Children's Literature
Kayra Maes (Speaker)
21 Jun 2025 → 25 Jun 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Talk or presentation at a conference
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Postcolonial Rewritings
Kayra Maes (Lecturer) & Elisabeth Bekers (Lecturer)
16 Jan 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Talk or presentation at a workshop/seminar
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Fostering Agency Through Play: The Childist Potential of Contemporary Black British Picture Books
Kayra Maes (Speaker)
18 Mar 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Talk or presentation at a workshop/seminar
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The Child Beyond the Hero: Children's Engagement in 'Ordinary' Communities of Care in the Hero Narrative - A Case Study of Yaba Badoe's Wolf Light (2019)
Kayra Maes (Speaker)
23 Apr 2025 → 25 Apr 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Talk or presentation at a conference
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For the Children Who Care: A Childist Analysis of Care in Contemporary Black British Children's Literature
Kayra Maes (Contributor), Elisabeth Bekers (Supervisor) & Vanessa Joosen (Supervisor)
3 Mar 2025Activity: Other › Written proposal
Thesis
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Children In Charge: A Childist Reading of the Power Dynamics of Play and Care in Three Contemporary Black British Picture Books
Author: Maes, K., 2025Supervisor: Bekers, E. (Promotor), Joosen, V. (External person) (Jury) & McCausland, E. (External person) (Jury)
Student thesis: Master-after-master
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Heroic Communities of Care in the Speculative Children’s Fiction of Yaba Badoe and Patience Agbabi
Author: Maes, K., 23 May 2023Supervisor: Bekers, E. (Promotor) & Van den Bossche, K. (Jury)
Student thesis: Master's Thesis