Contact Information
Davenport Hall, room 384
Office Hours
Spring 2025: F 12:00-2:00
Sociocultural Anthropology
Biography
Rita is a PhD candidate in sociocultural anthropology with a focus on multispecies ethnography and human-animal relations. Rita's dissertation research will examine caretaking of companion animals, multispecies families, pet retention, and paradigms of animal sheltering and welfare in the U.S./Midwest.
Prior to beginning graduate study, Rita taught English in Henan Province, China, from 2016-2018.
Research Interests
Human-animal relations; companion animals; multispecies ethnography; multispecies futures and coexistence; political ecology; neoliberalized wildlife conservation and governance; biopolitics; alternative futures and ontologies; settler-nature relationships; austerity politics; public and private sector relations.
Education
M.A., Applied Anthropology, Mississippi State University, 2021
B.A., Anthropology, Modern Languages and Literatures (Spanish and French), Beloit College, 2016
Additional Campus Affiliations
HRI Animal Turn Research Cluster
Animal Studies Summer Institute (ASSI) - Center for Advanced Study (CAS)
Highlighted Publications
Bouwens, Rita. 2021. "A Zoological Spectacular: Conservation in an American Zoo." Order No. 28648990, Mississippi State University. https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/zoological-spectacular-co…;