Gregory Leath Serrano

I hold a B.A. in English from Jacksonville State University. My favorite poem is "We Are Seven" by William Wordsworth. At the graduate-level, I studied Sociology and Women's Studies at New Mexico State University. My M.A. Thesis, entitled "Gender Performativity in Pro-Wrestling," explored female performances in the wild, wacky world of professional wrestling during its 'hey-day' era of the 1980s and 1990s. My interests have broadened to include Critical Animal Studies, disability, and the particular ways in which these themes intersect. Specifically, my dissertation explores how Donna Haraway's notion of "becoming-with" and Lori Gruen's concept of entangled empathy influence human-animal relationships and affective labor in animal sanctuaries. I argue for a more relational theoretical framework that accounts for the unique experiences across gender, race, ability, and species membership when humans and nonhumans encounter one another.

Outside of academics, I enjoy swimming, hiking, dancing, wrestling, and writing. I spend the majority of my free time at zoos and aquariums across the nation! My favorite place is the San Diego Zoo. I love tortoises, rhinos, hippos, whales, tapirs, oceans, rainforests, and WWE wrestling (but maybe not in that order)! Feel free to contact me if you have ideas or questions related to my research interests, professional aspirations, or anything else.