Lecture: Religion, Race, and the American Dog
Join Dr. Katharine Mershon for her talk entitled: "Religion, Race, and the American Dog." Free and open to the public via Zoom. Part of the Roeben-Raunig Lecture series.
How are animals part of the stories Americans tell about religion? What can stories about animals tell us about people? This talk will analyze narratives about religion and dogs that appear in unexpected settings. By examining the 2007 dogfighting case involving NFL player Michael Vick, we will discuss how human social justice and animal ethics are connected to religion and to each other.
About Katharine Mershon
Katharine Mershon received her Ph.D. in Religion, Literature, and Visual Culture from the University of Chicago Divinity School. After teaching religious ethics at Whitman College, she is now Assistant Professor of Religion at Western Carolina University. Her teaching and research examine how religion operates in spaces outside of those deemed explicitly religious—from the NFL to the animal shelter. Her work grew out of her experiences adopting a pit-bull type dog named Zoe, and becoming involved in animal rescue in Chicago.
About Jeania Ree Moore
Reverend Jeania Ree Moore is a doctoral student in African American Studies and Religious Studies at Yale University and a columnist for Sojourners magazine. A graduate of Yale University, Emory University, and the University of Cambridge, Jeania Ree has research interests in theology, aesthetics, race, and creation. Her current focus on racialized proximity to nonhuman animals grew out of her lifelong love of animals and awareness of how race plays a role in animal encounters and ethics. Jeania Ree is an ordained deacon in The United Methodist Church.