Olivia Hendricks

Olivia Hendricks is Visiting Assistant Professor of English at Emory University, Oxford College, in Atlanta, Georgia, where she specializes in contemporary transnational cultural studies and rhetorical studies. Her areas of expertise include U.S. cultural diplomacy, theories of power and hegemony, cultural iconicity, and performance studies. 

Her current research project examines U.S. citizen diplomacy, a concept which frames everyday people as informal diplomats between the U.S. and other countries, whether through Fulbright, the Peace Corps, study abroad, tourism, social media, or other paths. The project theorizes the extent to which shifting international power relations both may affect and be affected by U.S. citizen diplomacy rhetoric and practice. 

Dr. Hendricks previously advised students applying to programs such as U.S. Foreign Service Fellowships and Fulbright, contributing to Emory's recognition as a Fulbright Top-Producer by the Chronicle of Higher Education and the State Department. She completed her PhD in English at Emory in 2020.

A classical violinist from Wisconsin who came to Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla's nuevo tango music later in life, she continues performing at social occasions and studying music theory and composition. She enjoys teaching multilingual writers and sharpening her skills in Spanish as an additional language.