Jane Desmond is a Professor in Anthropology and Gender and Women's Studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she also holds appointments in the Unit for Criticism and Interpretive Theory, the Center for Global Studies, and the College of Veterinary Medicine. She serves as Co-founder and current Director of the International Forum for U.S. Studies, a center dedicated to the Transnational Study of the United States. Her interdisciplinary work bridges anthropology, performance studies, and human-animal relations, with a particular focus on embodiment, display, and social identity from transnational perspectives. Education: Ph.D. in American Studies, Yale University (1993) M.Phil. in American Studies, Yale University (1991) M.F.A., Sarah Lawrence College B.A. in Music and Dance, Brown University (1973) Desmond's research spans multiple interconnected fields with a consistent focus on embodiment and representation. Her early work examined tourism and performance in sites like Waikiki and Sea World, analyzing how bodies are displayed and interpreted in cultural contexts. This evolved into broader investigations of visual culture, museum studies, and the transnational dimensions of U.S. Studies. More recently, her work has centered on human-animal relations, exploring the political economy of these relationships through lenses of performance, display, and embodiment. She has pioneered interdisciplinary approaches that bring together anthropology, critical theory, and creative practice, informed by her background as a professional modern dancer and choreographer. Her scholarship consistently engages with questions of how embodied practices come to have social meaning and how these meanings circulate in public discourse. Desmond's publications reveal a trajectory from performance studies and tourism analysis toward increasingly interdisciplinary explorations of human-animal relations. Her work demonstrates consistent engagement with questions of embodiment, display, and representation across different cultural contexts. There's a clear movement from analyzing human performance to examining human-animal boundaries, with particular attention to how death, display, and value are negotiated in cultural contexts. Her scholarship bridges academic and public spheres, with contributions to mainstream media outlets like CNN.com, The Washington Post, and Huffington Post alongside traditional academic publications. Scientific Awards: University of Edinburgh Center for Advanced Study Fellowship Appointment (spring 2019) UIUC Arnold O. Beckman Award for Research (2018) UIUC Center for Advanced Study tenured faculty Fellowship and Associate Appointment (2016) Faculty Associate-in-Residence at UIUC Center for Advanced Studies (2010-2011), leading "Knowing Animals: Histories, Strategies and Futures in Human-Animal Relations" Humanities Research Institute Faculty Scholar at UIUC (2009-2010) "Eminent World Scholar" appointment at Beijing Foreign Studies University (2009) President of International American Studies Association (2007-2011) Professor Desmond has secured significant research funding from major foundations including the Hewlett Foundation, Ford Foundation, and Rockefeller Foundation. She has mentored numerous graduate students through her teaching of courses like "Performance Studies," "The Craft of Research," and "Knowing Animals: Histories, Strategies and Frontiers in Human/Animal Relations." Her interdisciplinary approach has fostered collaborations across departments and colleges. She is the Founding Resident Director of the international Summer Institute in Animal Studies at UIUC and the founder of the Animal Lives Book Series at the University of Chicago Press, establishing important infrastructure for advancing scholarship in human-animal studies.
