Denise Regina Percequillo Hossom is a Professor of Philosophy at Gonzaga University in Florence, with interests in environmental ethics, history and philosophy of the biological sciences, normative and applied ethics, and feminist epistemologies. She completed her PhD at University of California, Davis in Philosophy, with a designated emphasis in Science and Technology Studies (STS) and spent time as a visiting PhD candidate at the University of Exeter, Egenis Research Centre for the Study of the Life Sciences. Her interdisciplinary research interrogates classificatory concepts used in science and public policy targeting human and nonhuman animal relations, such as “wild”, “domestic”, “feral”, and “tame”. A focal case study examines “wild horse problems” in both national and transnational contexts, analyzing conflicts over how humans and horses coexist and interact in purportedly “wild” or “domestic” environments.
Coming from a Brazilian, Italian, and American family, Denise grew up in a multicultural and multilingual household and is committed to fostering cross-cultural relations in and out of the classroom. As a lifetime equestrian with a background working in agriculture, she has also spent time working with horses across the Western US, Australia, Brazil, and Italy, and is passionate about animal welfare, environmental justice, and food justice. She sees teaching in Florence as an opportunity to share this inspiring environment with students, connecting lived experiences with philosophical questions about human nature and ethics.
