Christian Gunderman

Christian Gunderman serves as Associate Professor of Gender Studies at Mount Holyoke College, teaching core curriculum including Introduction to Gender Studies, Feminist and Queer Theory, and Senior Seminar. His pedagogy centers on theory as embodied practice, exploring intersections of power, identity, and resistance through diverse lenses like queer movements, human-animal boundaries, and bodily modifications.

Education:

• Ph.D. from Rutgers University
• Ph.D. from Cornell University
• B.A. from Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen

His research synthesizes queer theory, critical animal studies, and embodiment through projects examining interspecies entanglements—particularly human-equine relationships—and their implications for biomedical ethics, identity formation, and necropolitics. Current work investigates metabolic conditions, autoimmune disorders, and hormone-related identity through horsemanship experiences, while integrating species belonging into intersectional frameworks alongside race, gender, and class.

Recent scholarly output, including the 2023 article on Iberian breed politics, demonstrates consistent engagement with resistance theory at human-animal boundaries, emphasizing how marginalized identities navigate power structures through embodied practices.

Honors:

• Recorded presentation on 'naturecultures' (2023) developed with Charles University of Prague and MISTRA Environmental Research Program

Professor Gunderman has pioneered specialized courses like 'Gender and Species'—analyzing animal rights through intersectional identity—and 'Embodiments,' which applies Foucauldian frameworks to disability, chronic illness, and transgender hormone therapy. His student-driven methodology cultivates critical engagement with theory as lived practice across contexts from fermentation microbiology to death-midwifery movements.