Philip Howell

Professor Philip Howell is a Professor of Historical Geography and Fellow of Emmanuel College at the University of Cambridge. He leads the Vital Geographies research group within the Department of Geography. His career spans over three decades at Cambridge, with earlier stints at Harvard University (1987-1988). Howell holds a BA and PhD from the University of Cambridge (1987 and 1994, respectively).

His research focuses on animal geographies, gender and sexuality, and cultural and literary geographies. Key projects include studies on Victorian human-animal relations, geographies of gender regulation, and the historical role of public spaces like pubs. Current PhD supervisees include Diane Borden, Nicholas Pritchard, and Lucy Thompson.

Recent publications include Pub (2025) exploring Victorian leisure spaces and The Routledge Companion to Animal-Human History (2018). His work bridges historical analysis with contemporary debates on animal ethics, urban environments, and cultural narratives.

Teaching spans undergraduate modules on cultural geographies and citizenship, alongside postgraduate courses on political appetites and legal geographies. No specific grants are highlighted, though his research has consistently addressed interdisciplinary themes in historical and cultural geography.

His lab affiliation, the Vital Geographies group, emphasizes collaborative research into dynamic human-environment interactions. Notable contributions include redefining animal studies through historical lenses and examining urban spaces as sites of cultural and social negotiation.