Kathryn Vaggalis

Kathryn Vaggalis is a doctoral student specializing in late nineteenth and early twentieth century race, gender, and immigration. Her current work focuses on the influence of turn-of-the-century eugenics and sexology on constructions of U.S. citizenship and belonging, particularly in the cases of Asian and Southern European immigrant families and marriage practices. Her work is interdisciplinary, incorporating critical race and queer theory into historical practices and methodologies.

Kathryn currently teaches sections of AMS 100: Introduction to American Studies at KU, and works as managing editor of Women, Gender, and Families of Color, a biannual, peer-reviewed journal published by the University of Illinois Press and hosted by the University of Kansas. 

Kathryn was recently chosen as the graduate student representative for the Hall Center’s 2015 Fall Faculty Colloquium, “Rethinking Citizenship in a Global Age.”