Kris Hill

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College: College of Social Sciences and International Studies
Discipline: Sociology and Philosophy
Department: SPA
Research Centre/Unit: Exeter Anthrozoology as Symbiotic Ethics (EASE)

I completed my PhD in Anthrozoology in Spring 2023. My doctoral project focused on cat-human relations and discourses surrounding free-roaming and free-living cats (Felis catus). Download my thesis here. In 2018 I completed the MA in Anthrozoology with Exeter University via distance learning. It would have been impossible for me to relocate to Exeter, but this format enabled me to study a new field while continuing full-time employment. I loved the course and my research project so much that I continued with the PhD while building the foundations of a new career – as an academic and educator dedicated to improving the lives of animals (including humans).

I am passionate about the issue of companion animals and rental accommodation (including nursing homes and temporary shelters) and homelessness. 'Pets In Housing' is a key focus of SCAS, a non-profit organisation dedicated to advocacy and research related to the companion animal-human bond, for which I serve as a volunteer communications officer. For the past 3 years I have co-organised an international student conference in Anthrozoology (AIP) and am involved in various outreach projects (see my personal website).

PhD Thesis:

K. Hill (2023). A right to roam? A trans-species approach to understanding cat-human relations and social discourses associated with free-roaming urban cats (Felis catus). PhD Thesis, University of Exeter, UK. https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/handle/10871/133691

Peer-reviewed publications:

D. Fennell et al. (35 authors, including K. Hill) (2024). Tourism, animals & the vacant niche: a scoping review and pedagogical agenda. Current Issues in Tourism, Online ahead of print. DOI: 10.1080/13683500.2023.2280704

K. Hill (2024). Humano-cat cultures of the Costa del Sol, in Emerging Voices for Animals in Tourism, edited by J. Hooper and C. Kline. Chapter 9, pp. 99-114. CABI. DOI: 10.1079/9781800625259.0009

J. Hooper, T. Aiello, K. Hill, M. Szydlowski, S. Oxley Heaney, (2023). Nothing More than ‘Anti-Cull Activists’: Accusations of Bias and the Politics of Research that Advocates for Non-Human Animals. Animal Studies Journal, 12(1), 70-95. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14453/asj/v12i1.6

K. Hill (2022). Feral and out of control: a moral panic over free-roaming cats? in Anthrozoology Studies: Animal Life and Human Culture, edited by I. Frasin, G. Bodi, S. Bulei, C. D. Vasiliu. Romania: Presa Universitară Clujeană. pp. 123-157. https://anthrozoology.acadiasi.org/en/books-2/ 

T. Howell, L. Nieforth, C. Thomas-Pino, L. Samet, S. Agbonika, F. Cuervas-Pavincich, N. Ekholm Fry, K. Hill, et al. (77 authors) (2022). Defining terms used for animals working in support roles for vulnerable people. Animals, 12(15), 1975. DOI: 10.3390/ani12151975

K. Hill, M. Szydlowski, S. Oxley Heaney, D. Busby (2022). Uncivilized behaviors: how humans wield “feral” to assert power (and control) over other species. Society & Animals, 31(7), 907-925. DOI: 10.1163/15685306-bja10088 

T. Warda, T. Aiello, K. Hill (2022). Nonhuman Animals as Symbols in the #BlackLivesMatter Protests of 2020. Society & Animals, 31(5-6), 825-843. DOI: 10.1163/15685306-bja10116

M. Szydlowski, K. Hill, S. Oxley Heaney, J. Hooper. (2022). Domestication and domination: human language as a tool for controlling animal bodies. TRACE Journal for Human-Animal Studies, 8, 32-55. DOI:10.23984/fjhas.110388 

S. Oxley Heaney, K. Hill, M. Szydlowski, J. Hooper, T. Aiello. (2022). Members Only? A posthuman view of otherthanhuman-animal immigrants across human-defined borders. TRACE ∴ Journal for Human-Animal Studies, 8, 56-81. DOI:10.23984/fjhas.110811

J. Hooper, T. Aiello, K. Hill (2022). Portrayals of Animals in Covid-19 News Media. Anthrozoös, 35(2), 237-257. DOI: 10.1080/08927936.2021.1974703

K. Hill (2021). Animal-themed tattoo narratives: Insights into ontological perspectives. Anthrozoös. 34(4), 579-596. DOI: 10.1080/08927936.2021.1914441

K. Hill (2021). Happy Hens or Healthy Eggs – A Summative Content Analysis Of How Hens Are Represented In Supermarket Egg Boxes Narratives. TRACE ∴ Journal for Human-Animal Studies7(1), 70-94. DOI: 10.23984/fjhas.98684

K. Hill (2021). Liminal animals in liminal spaces: A day at Berlin Zoo. Animalia, 5(1), 24-31 Online.

K. Hill (2020). Tattoo narratives: Insights into multispecies kinship and griefwork. Anthrozoös, 33(6), 709-726. DOI: 10.1080/08927936.2020.1824652

Guest Blogs & Essays:

K. Hill (2023, 2 October). Doing a distance-based PhD before, during, and post-pandemic. UoE Doctoral College Blog, Read here.

K. Hill (2023, 2 September). Will Distance-Based PhDs Replace The On-Campus Experience? The PhD Place, Read here.

K. Hill (2023, 5 May). Taking on the more-than-human perspective on research ethics. Research Ethics Association (REA) blog, Read here.

K. Hill (2022, 30 June). Respecting the privacy of my feline research participants. The Exeter Anthrozoology as Symbiotic Ethics (EASE) Blog.

K. Hill (2020, 10 October). Furever Tattoos: An Expression of the Lasting Bonds We Form With Companion Animals. International Society of Anthrozoology (ISAZ) Student Blog.