Dr. Mary Zaborskis

Biography

Mary Zaborskis is an Associate Professor of American Studies and Gender Studies at Penn State Harrisburg. She received her PhD in English with a certificate in Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. Before joining Penn State Harrisburg, she was a Diversity Postdoctoral Fellow at the Humanities Center at the University of Pittsburgh. Mary’s research intersects queer, critical race, and childhood studies with a focus on twentieth-century contemporary American literature and culture. Her book, 'Queer Childhoods: Institutional Futures Indigeneity, Race, Disability' (New York University Press, 2024), examines how the genders and sexualities of children were managed in late-nineteenth and twentieth-century boarding schools for marginalized populations. She has received awards such as the Penn State's Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity 2022 Academic Achievement Award and Harrisburg's 2023 Faculty Diversity Award. Her work has been published in various journals including GLQ: Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies and Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society. Mary actively participates in the American Studies Association and serves on leadership committees related to queer theory and feminist pedagogy. Her teaching interests include queer theory, gender and sexuality studies, disability studies, and media studies.

Research Interests

Experience

Awards