Erika Cudworth

Erika Cudworth is an Associate Professor in Education at De Montfort University, affiliated with the School of Applied Social Sciences. Her academic journey began with a PhD in Sociology from the University of Leeds, followed by an MSc in Political Sociology from LSE and a BSoc.Sc. in Political Science from the University of Birmingham. She previously served as a Professor at the University of East London.

• Research Expertise: Human/Animal Studies, Posthumanism, Gender, Intersectionality, Critical Animal Studies, Environmental Sociology

Erika’s research explores the intersection of posthumanism, gender, and environmental justice, focusing on domestic violence and animal abuse, multispecies ethnography, and critical pedagogy. Her recent publications analyze companion animals, zoonotic politics, and eco-pedagogy, integrating feminist, new materialist, and complex systems frameworks.

Her 15 most recent publications span sociology, international relations, and critical animal studies, with a focus on domestic violence, companion species, and posthumanist theory. She actively collaborates with institutions in Canada, Sweden, and the UK on projects like Animalizing Sociology and Home Schooling in multispecies contexts.

Erika supervises PhD students Jana Canavan, Tasnina Karim, and Meera Naran at DMU, and external students at the University of Guelph and Lund. She serves on the Academic Consultative Committee of the Vegan Society and reviews for journals like Animals, Security Dialogue, and The Sociological Review.