Research Interests
- Gender and sexuality in medieval and early modern Europe
- How visual and material culture reflects and impacts social history
Education
| 2019-2020 | University of Guelph, Master of Arts in History (in progress) |
| 2015-2019 | University of Toronto, Honours Bachelor of Arts with High Distinction, majors in History and Art History, minor in History of Religions |
Research Experience
| Fall 2018 | Independent Study Project, Sodomy in Medieval and Early Modern Europe, supervised by Dr. Mairi Cowan Designed and developed an independent study course, including selecting the readings and designing assignments. The course examines sodomy as it was understood in medieval and early modern Europe through its legal, religious, and social implications via an intersectional analysis of gender, sexed bodies, and social status. |
| 2016-2019 | Research Assistant for Dr. Evonne Levy, Department of Visual Studies, University of Toronto Mississauga Manuscript preparation, including copyediting a paper and preparing a bibliography. Archival, library, and web research to find articles and books. Work on the History of Art History in Canada Project (1933-present), including gathering and interpreting data, working on the website, keeping detailed and accurate records, and working collaboratively with shared files. |
| 2018-2019 | Internship, ArQuives (previously the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives) Designing, researching, and developing Genderqueer in Canada, a digital exhibition in the OMEKA platform to hosted on the ArQuives’ website. |
Papers
Undergraduate
Mara-McKay, Nico. “Becoming Gendered: Two Medieval Approaches to Intersex Gender Assignment.” Prandium: The Journal of Historical Studies at University of Toronto Mississauga 7:1 (2008).
Mara-McKay, Nico. “Marvellous Anxiety: Horror Painting in Seventeenth Century Naples.” Crossing Borders: A Multidisciplinary Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship. (Under consideration.)
Teaching Experience
| Fall 2019 | Teaching Assistant for Dr. Peter Goddard, Early Modern Europe, University of Toronto Mississauga The course examined trends, development, evolution and events that together shaped early modern institutions in the Eurasian West. Graded and met with sixty students to help support their learning and think their way through the material and assignments. |
| Fall 2017 | Teaching Assistant for Dr. Christopher Petrakos, Happiness, University of Toronto Mississauga The course investigated the concept of happiness from its earliest articulations to today, across time and place, and drew on a wide array of sources in disciplines in the social sciences and humanities, particularly history and philosophy. Developed and prepared lectures and discussion material for two tutorials comprised of thirty students each (sixty students total), including reading assignments, essay writing, formatting Chicago Manual of Style, and quizzes. Graded student attendance, participation, and essays for content and style. Received the Teaching Assistant Award from the Department of Historical Studies for the 2017-2018 academic year. |
Honours and Awards
Graduate
| 2020 | Board of Graduate Studies Research Scholarship, University of Guelph |
| 2019-2020 | Graduate Tuition Scholarship, University of Guelph |
| 2019-2020 | University Graduate Scholarship, University of Guelph |
Undergraduate
| 2019 | Dean’s Graduation Award, University of Toronto |
| 2019 | Award for Outstanding Performance in Visual Studies, University of Toronto |
| 2015-2019 | Dean’s List Scholar, University of Toronto |
| 2015-2018 | Joseph Alfred Whealey Incourse Scholarship, University of Toronto |
| 2018 | UTM Experiential Learning Bursary, University of Toronto |
| Fall 2017 | Best Exhibition Proposal in Curatorial Studies Award, Sheridan College |
| 2017 | University of Toronto Excellence Award in Social Sciences and Humanities |
| 2017 | Marjorie E. Simonds Travel Award, University of Toronto |
| 2016 | History Emeriti Award, Historical Studies, University of Toronto |
Professional
| 2018 | Teaching Assistant Award, Historical Studies, University of Toronto |
| 2013 | Writer’s Grant, Toronto Arts Council |
Presentations
Papers Presented
Mara-McKay, Nico. “Early Modern English Witch Bottles and the Logic of Counteractive Magic.” Paper presented at the Experience and Expression in the Renaissance: Exploring Early Modern Media Conference by the Association of Renaissance Studies, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, 15 March 2019.
Mara-McKay, Nico. “Becoming Gendered: Two Medieval Approaches to Intersex Gender Assignment.” Paper presented at the Second Annual Prandium Conference, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, 19 March 2018.
Mara-McKay, Nico. “Katherina Hetzeldorfer and the Consequences of a Woman Living as a Heterosexual Man in Fifteenth-Century Germany.” Paper presented at Revealing the Renaissance: (De)constructing Early Modern Identities, Fourth Annual Conference by the Association of Renaissance Studies, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, 16 March 2018.
Mara-McKay, Nico. “The Materiality of Meret Oppenheim’s Surrealist Objects.” Paper presented at Back to Basics: Materials and Process, the Third Annual History of Art Undergraduate Conference, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, 17 March 2017.
Talks
Mara-McKay, Nico and Konrad Boeschenstein. “Witch Pee and Costly Codices: Undergraduate Research Opportunities at U of T.” Toronto District School Board, Department of History, Unviersity of Toronto, Toronto, ON, 2 May 2019.
Mara-McKay, Nico. “The Future of (Chaos) Magick.” Talk presented at Flambeau Noir, Ottawa, ON, 30 April 2017.
Mara-McKay, Nico. “The History of Tarot Visuals.” Talk presented at First Thursdays: Be Magik, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, ON, 3 November 2016.
Panels
Mara-McKay, Nico with Salako Kalfou and April Snellings, moderated by Alison Lang. “Witch, Please: Myth versus Reality.” Panel presented at Dark Carnival, Hamilton, ON, 10 July 2016.
Mara-McKay, Nico with Lynx Sainte Marie, Clementine Morrigan, Jenna Danchuk, and Amrit Brar, hosted by Jonathan Valelly. “Magick and the Occult in the Independent Arts.” Panel presented at Canzine, Toronto, ON, 17 October 2015.
Writing and Editing
| 2016-Present | Copy Editor, Broken Pencil Magazine Copy editing and proofreading for a print magazine devoted to the independent arts. |
| 2000-2019 | Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Spiral Nature Magazine Founder and publisher of a popular online magazine focusing on witchy topics in history and popular culture. Oversaw a diverse team of editors, staff writers, and freelance contributors. |
| 2016-2019 | Computerized Notetaker for Disability Services, George Brown College In-class note taking for Deaf students, where the students have access to the notes in real time, and are provided edited versions afterwards. |
| 2012-2015 | Website Administrator, Canadian Women in the Literary Arts |
| 2013 | Writer’s Grant, Toronto Arts Council |
Associations
Canadian Society of Medievalists, Member (2019-Present)
Canadian Society for Renaissance Studies, Member (2019-Present)
Medieval Academy of America, Member (2019-Present)
Renaissance Society of America, Member (2019-Present)
Society for Medieval Feminist Scholarship, Member (2018-Present)
Academic Community Involvement
| 2018-2019 | Secretary (elected executive), Historical Studies Society, University of Toronto Mississauga |
| 2017-2018 | Marketing Director (elected executive), Historical Studies Society, University of Toronto Mississauga |
| 2017-2019 | Volunteer Note Taker, AccessAbility Services, University of Toronto Mississauga |
| 2016-2017 | Volunteer Coordinator (elected executive), OUT @ University of Toronto Mississauga |
Languages
English, fluent (reading, writing, oral)
French, intermediate (reading, oral)
Latin, beginner (reading, writing, oral)
German, beginner (reading)