Wenzheng Fang studies the environmental history of modern America and the world as a history PhD student at the University of Notre Dame. He is interested in the history of ecological thoughts, animal history, environmental management states, paleontology, and films.
After getting a B.A in Communications, Wenzheng turned to history and received an M.A in World History from Renmin University in Beijing. He also worked in the Center for Ecological History at Renmin. His master thesis studies how a resurgence of dinosaur paleontology in the late 20th century reflected and initiated changes in people’s perceptions of their relationship with nature, and their awareness of an ongoing ecological crisis in a world of vulnerability. His current research focus is on the shift in American’s perceptions on non-indigeneous species in their nation, how their desire create a healthy environment leaded to mass introduction of non-indigenous species from different regions of the world, but relabeled many of them as “invasive” and made efforts to eradicate them later.