What are your areas of concentration/study?
I consider myself a boxing critic. Though my work involves historical research, I mainly read the archive of the sport through the lens of black and performance studies.
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I was born and raised in Durham, NC. As a kid, I played soccer and ran track but I enjoyed all sorts of sports, martial arts, and other physical activities. I started college in Greensboro, NC intending to become a vertebrate paleontologist; however, after the murder of Trayvon Martin in 2012 I became involved with the local Black Lives Matter Movement. This experience transformed my academic interest and I became more engaged in philosophy and black studies.
Why PS @ NYU? After I completed my MA in philosophy I decided that if I wanted to transfer those experiences to performance studies I ought to go to the source. NYU's performance studies department is the very first, so the choice was easy. - Zachary Easterling
Why you chose to stay at PS for your Ph.D.?
I decided to stay in PS for my Ph.D. because I wanted to understand what performances did in the world. I wanted to see and discuss the implications of human activity rather than philosophize at it. I didn't want to make performances fit into a prefabricated schema, correct only insomuch as it was internally consistent, instead what PS has empowered me to do is see the living application of philosophy involved in all human activity.
What is your favorite spot in NYC?
My favorite spot in New York is Gleason's Gym. I'm always at my happiest in a boxing gym and I've been at Gleaason's for years now. My membership there has allowed me to meet great fighters, coaches, and historians, and training in what is essentially a boxing museum is very inspirational. It always feels like you have one more round in the tank there.
What extracurriculars are you involved in?
I train and organize classes with Trans Boxing.
What has been your favorite PS class so far?
My favorite class experience in PS was when I had the opportunity to design my own course, Physical Culture. This class allowed my to share my work with students and gave them the chance to think about the application of performance studies in an underexplored context.
What is a favorite/stand out moment you've had in a PS class?
The most standout moment, or rather moments, in PS for me was in the Fetish course taught by Barbara Browning. Each week she would bring a gift for the whole class. It stands out to me because as one of my very first performance studies classes it really set a tone for the register of thought in the department. Those gifts taught me that I hadn't previously understood objects at all, much less their application in the performance of community and intimacy.
What are some of your recent publications/ papers presented at conferences?
I recently presented draft excerpts at the Mid-Atlantic Popular & American Culture Association on an upcoming article written for the Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism on the recent controversy surrounding Devin Haney & Ryan Garcia's 2024 boxing match. I have also recently co-authored a chapter in the edited volume Boxing, Narrative and Culture: Critical Perspectives.
What teaching opportunities have you had on campus or in NYC?
Since coming to PS I have taught two classes as an adjunct at NYU, Physical Culture and Race & Performance. I have also been a TA for several courses including Introduction to Social and Cultural Analysis, Undergraduate Introduction to Performance Studies, Graduate Introduction to Performance Studies, and Graduate Final Projects in Performance Studies. Outside of NYU, I'll be adjunct teaching in Fall 2025 in the Department of Peace and Justice at Pace University.
Awards/ Fellowships/ Grants
In 2023 I won the Alpine Fellowship for graduate students.