Samantha Pergadia

Samantha Pergadia is an Assistant Professor of English at Southern Methodist University. She holds a Ph.D. from Washington University in St. Louis and a B.A. from Princeton University. Her research focuses on intersections of race, species, and environment in African American and contemporary literature. Key areas include critical race studies, critical animal studies, and gender studies.

Her current projects include Slavery’s Slaughterhouse, examining racialized species comparisons in Black art; The Breakup Album, a memoir blending personal narrative with aesthetic analysis; and Transitions, addressing gender dysphoria and cancer. Her work bridges literature, ethics, and social justice, receiving awards like the Darwin T. Turner Award and Louis D. Rubin Jr. Prize for articles on neo-slave narratives and racial geographies.

Pergadia’s publications appear in New Literary History, African American Review, and American Quarterly. Her interdisciplinary approach integrates literary analysis with feminist, queer, and environmental critiques. She teaches courses on modern American literature, environmental humanities, and critical race theory.