Dean & Professor
Credentials
PhD in Geography, Clark University
MA in Geography, Carleton University
BA Honours, Queen's University
Research Keywords
Human-Environment Geographies; Animal Geographies; Gender & Environment; Urban Geography; Southern Africa.
Contact Information
4700 Keele Street
Toronto, ON M3J 1P3
416 736 2100
https://livesofanimals.info.yorku.ca/
Research Interests
My research program broadly explores human-environment relations and is theoretically informed by feminist, poststructuralist and posthumanist philosophical perspectives. I focus on three areas:
The Lives of Animals
My current research focuses on animals, reflecting my theoretical and empirical interest in species relations of power. We cannot understand human affairs without recognizing the ways in which animals are wrapped up with social constructions, organizations and dynamics, and biophysical processes. How do we think about animals? Where do we put them? Where do they belong? How do we interact with them? Are these human-animal relations good, bad, otherwise? How might we understand the lives of animals in terms of their circumstances and experiences, welfare and rights so as to achieve sustainable and just interspecies relations? This work takes place primarily in Botswana, Canada and Costa Rica.
Urbanization, Gender & Everyday Life
I have long been interested in contemporary urban life in Southern Africa, particularly as shaped by gender relations of power. Urbanization is a key driver of change in this region where the lives and circumstances of people have undergone rapid transformation within the past generation. In this context I have explored issues related to housing, urban agriculture, food security, natural resource use, entrepreneurship, identity politics and animals, primarily in Gaborone, Botswana.
Scholarship of Teaching & Learning
My teaching experiences to date have stimulated my interest in the scholarship of higher education. I believe the dynamic merger of educational theory and practice enhances my skills as an instructor at the undergraduate and graduate level, and can contribute to the advancement of teaching and learning in higher education. My pedagogical interests thus far focus on experiential learning, reflective practice, classroom participation, as well as investigations in geographical and environmental education fields.