Hilary Thurston, Ph.D
Hilary Thurston, Ph.D
Research Associate
Research Associate
Re-Vision: The Centre for Art and Social Justice
Re-Vision: The Centre for Art and Social Justice
University of Guelph
University of Guelph
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About My research examines the social politics of attachment by investigating the circulation of affects between discursive sites of social reproduction and relational experiences of intimacy, identity, belonging, and well-being. Drawing on poststructuralist methodologies, I investigate the relationship between discourse, representation, and affective embodiment in relation to gender, sexuality, mental health, addiction, disability, and emerging technologies.
About My research examines the social politics of attachment by investigating the circulation of affects between discursive sites of social reproduction and relational experiences of intimacy, identity, belonging, and well-being. Drawing on poststructuralist methodologies, I investigate the relationship between discourse, representation, and affective embodiment in relation to gender, sexuality, mental health, addiction, disability, and emerging technologies.
A central contribution of my work is the development of the concept of systemic attachment trauma (2026), which refers to forms of relational injury that emerge through the transmission of affects produced through processes of social reproduction and circulated through oppressive systems, institutional discourses, and cultural narratives.
A central contribution of my work is the development of the concept of systemic attachment trauma (2026), which refers to forms of relational injury that emerge through the transmission of affects produced through processes of social reproduction and circulated through oppressive systems, institutional discourses, and cultural narratives.
Interests My research program is informed by my professional background in the public service, and includes subject matter in feminist epistemology, queer mental health, disability and workplace inclusion, health technologies, settlement and migration, and 2SLGBTQIA+ history and culture. I am interested in understanding the ways in which oppressive systems shape lived experience and how marginalized groups create sites of resistance, resilience, and collective care.
Interests My research program is informed by my professional background in the public service, and includes subject matter in feminist epistemology, queer mental health, disability and workplace inclusion, health technologies, settlement and migration, and 2SLGBTQIA+ history and culture. I am interested in understanding the ways in which oppressive systems shape lived experience and how marginalized groups create sites of resistance, resilience, and collective care.
RECENT HIGHLIGHTS
Fall 2026
Submitted: "“I know I have this issue, I can manage it”: Understanding Episodic Disabilities and Self-Accommodations in the Workplace as Micro-Activist Affordances". Elisabeth Harrison, Lacey Croft, Megan Ingram, Hilary Thurston, Vanessa Ferguson, and Carla Rice.
In Progress: Neurosexism: The Epistemological Politics of Gender, monograph contracted by Fernwood Publishing, 2027.
Spring 2026
Invited Talk: "Intersections of Belonging: How Misinformation affects Experiences of Community Integration and Inclusion", Belonging, Inclusion and Newcomer Welcome Panel, Healthy Communities Partnership Conference 2026.
In Progress: "Huron Perth Grey Bruce Retention Study: Why Do Newcomers Leave Rural Areas?" Oklikah, D., Mbimba, I., Nonkes, M., Thurston, H. Funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
In Progress: "Grey Bruce Immigrant Experience Survey" Schnarr, K., Ressler, B., Thurston, H. Funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
Winter 2026
Dissertation Defence, "Queer Ambivalence: Fantasies of Belonging in the Lesbian Imaginary", degree conferred March 2026, dissertation nominated for dissertation awards from the Faculty of Graduate Studies and the Centre for Feminist Research, York University.
Published: "Queering Addiction Recovery in Neoliberal Times" Hypatia: A Journal of Feminist Philosophy, January 2026. [link]
A full list of my publications can be found on Google Scholar.
My CV is available here.
I am currently accepting inquiries for speaking opportunities - contact me for more information.
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