Ryan Anthony Hatch

Dr. Ryan Anthony Hatch is an Associate Professor of English at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) in San Luis Obispo, where he also serves as Director of Graduate Studies in English. His academic background includes a PhD in English from The State University of New York at Buffalo (2014), an MA (2008) from the same institution, and a BA in Philosophy from Kalamazoo College (2004, cum laude).

His research focuses on psychoanalytic theory, literary criticism, modern and contemporary drama, performance studies, Marxism, and aesthetic theory. He actively engages with interdisciplinary questions about the intersections of art, politics, and social structures through both scholarly writing and critical interventions in cultural practices.

Dr. Hatch has published extensively on performance aesthetics, including analyses of contemporary art’s algorithmic adaptability, postdramatic theatre, and the socio-political dimensions of aesthetic practices. His work frequently critiques neoliberal cultural logics and explores how artistic forms articulate resistance or complicity with dominant systems.

He has reviewed major scholarly works for journals like *Theatre Journal* and *TDR*, and engages in public intellectual work through podcast interviews (e.g., with Ramzi Fawaz on *SKYLIT*). His editorial contributions include co-editing *Utopia*, a special issue of *Umbr(a): a journal of the unconscious* (2008). He currently oversees graduate education in English at Cal Poly, maintaining a strong commitment to mentoring emerging scholars.