New Book on Identity and Educational Boundaries from Jenny R. Vermilya

Published: March 17, 2022

Perdue University Press recently published Assistant Professor in the Clinical Teaching Track for Sociology Jenny R. Vermilya’s new book Identity, Gender, and Tracking: The Reality of Boundaries for Veterinary Students. Using in-depth interviews with veterinary students, Vermilya’s new work explores the experience of enrollment in an educational program that tracks students based on the species of animals that they wish to treat. The identity of a veterinarian is one characterized by care; thus, students have to construct different definitions of care, creating a system of power and inequality. Tracking produces multiple boundaries for veterinary students, which has consequences not just for the veterinarian, but also for the treatment of animals. Vermilya recently discussed the book on the podcast Knowing Animals (Episode 181), with host Siobhan O'Sullivan.