Seven Mattes, Ph.D.

Seven Mattes is an Associate Professor in the Center for Integrative Studies at Michigan State University. Seven earned a BA in Environmental Studies and Anthropology from Western Michigan University and a PhD in Cultural Anthropology from Michigan State University, specializing in Animal Studies and Gender, Justice, and Environmental Change. Working at the intersection of Animal Studies and Critical Disaster Studies, Seven’s interdisciplinary research aims to improve preparedness and outcomes for humans and other animals in disaster contexts. Regionally focused on Japan, Seven was awarded a Fulbright-Hays Fellowship to research the multispecies impacts of the 2011 Tōhoku Disaster, working with companion species and the organizations who rescued them. Seven now leads a Study Abroad to Japan focused on human-animal relationships. In both research and teaching, Seven focuses on understanding and valuing ecological entanglements across cultures. Seven is a co-editor of the Palgrave Series on Animals and Social Problems and Past Chair of the American Sociological Association’s Animals & Society Section.