Mary Offutt-Reagin

“I am particularly interested in constructions of the human and nonhuman as cultural performance, and in the effects of those cultural species delineations on societal policies. Using theories of philosopher of biology John Dupré as a starting point, I intend to examine how interpretations of who is (and is not) an “animal” constitute a species of folk taxonomy in the law, and how that taxonomy is both influenced by and influences cultural perceptions and protections of nonhuman animals.”