Student Impact

Emily Zarka

Believing in monsters

What can monsters teach us about our society? Emily Zarka, who earned her doctorate in British Romantic literature, discussed monsters on the PBS Digital Studios show Monstrum. According to Zarka, historically, monsters educate and police societies. Monsters index societal values and attitudes toward difference. They help us face our fears and desires and teach us the rules of civility. Stemming from Zarka’s dissertation research and her participation in ASU’s Knowledge Mobilization training, she pursued the PBS six-part series to bring her research to broader audiences and help others understand why monsters matter. The series, airing on Facebook Watch, received 1.54 million views and the full season can be found on YouTube in April 2019.