Julie Urbanik (by William Lynn)
This month is an embarrassment of riches! Once again I have the pleasure of introducing a contributing author to this Blog and an Advisor on Practical Ethics, Julie Urbanik.
Julie holds an M.A. in Women’s Studies from the University of Arizona (2000), and a Ph.D. in Geography from Clark University (2006). Her thesis, Living Our Environment: the Role of Ecofeminism in Women’s Studies Curriculums, was an exploration of why and how environmental issues such as the politics of spirituality, environmental economic policies, and post-colonial and animal rights theories need to become better integrated into Women’s Studies classrooms. Her dissertation, Geography and Animal Biotechnology: the Role of Place and Scale in Shaping the Public Debate, examined stakeholder strategies in the conflict over the production and use of genetically engineered animals and engaged with questions about science and democracy, geography and activism, and the intersections of power, species, and identity.
As an ecofeminist cultural geographer, she is motivated to explore how issues of identity, globalization, and technology are reconfiguring human relationships with the natural world. She has experience and interest in three broad research areas: the role of identity politics and social theory in environmental conflicts, the role of geography in science and technology policy conflicts, and the geopolitics of commodities. More specifically, she focuses on the topics of gender, nonhumans, and food technologies. The aim of her research is to contribute both to the academic dialogue on shifting nature-society interactions and to the furthering of effective participatory democracy in environmentally-related policy decisions.
As an educator, her goal is to impress upon students her love of learning and of our world. She wants to challenge students to disrupt notions of what is ’normal’ and to consider the social and historical constructions of their own experiences, beliefs, and daily practices. She introduces human-animal ’issues’ in every course she teaches, and relishes motivating students to experience light bulb moments.
You can contact her at:
Julie Urbanik, PhD
Assistant Professor
Geography and Regional Planning
Westfield State University
Westfield, MA 01086
413.367.3028
julie.urbanik@gmail.com
Selected Publications:
Urbanik, J. (in press). Locating the transgenic landscape: animal biotechnology and the Politics of place in Massachusetts. Geoforum.
Emel, J. and J. Urbanik. 2005. Feminism and animal biotechnology. In A Companion to Feminist Geography, edited by J. Seager and L. Nelson. Malden, MA and Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 445-457.
Urbanik, J. 2005. Brave new zoo: the world of animal biotechnology. New England Anti-Vivisection Society (NEAVS) Update, v.6, n.2, pp. 4-5.
Urbanik, J. 2001. Book review of Feminism & Ecology by Mary Mellor. Organization & Environment, v. 14, n.1, pp. 116-117.
Urbanik, J. 2000. Book review of The Emperor’s Embrace by Jeffrey Masson. Feminists for Animal Rights Journal, v. 12, n. 3/4, Autumn/Winter.
Urbanik, J. 1999. CARE re-visioned: an update on the Companion Animal Rescue Effort Program. Feminists for Animal Rights Journal, v. 11, n. 1/2, Winter/Spring.
William Lynn :: Aug.26.2007 :: Ethics, Geography, Human-Animal Studies :: No Comments »