Grounded in intersectionality, qualitative methods, and social justice, Kristi Tredway’s research rests at the confluence of cultural studies, social medicine (and, more broadly, medical humanities), public health, and sport. She focuses on the body, viewing them on a continuum from the hyper-ability of elite athletes to the social epidemiology of illness, while maintaining particular attention on women, race, gender performances, and LGBTQ+ issues. The broader goal of her research is to highlight inequitable cultural understandings of the body and to work collaboratively with colleagues to redress them. A keen eye on social media outlets lets her continually take the pulse of what is either normalized or contested in the public discourse. Kristi’s current site for analysis is women’s professional tennis.
Kristi grew up in Modesto, California, in a solidly working-class family. In classic John Steinbeck fashion, her maternal grandfather and her maternal grandmother’s family migrated to Northern California from Oklahoma and Arkansas, respectively, in the mid-1930s; however, they represented the unwritten Steinbeck – They were American Indians, Choctaw and Creek. Kristi’s grandfather worked his way up in California wineries and, in the 1970s, became the president of the Winery Workers Union, one of the largest unions in the state. Her immediate family still calls Escalon, California, home.
In 1988, Kristi became a professional tennis player. This was her occupation for 4-1/2 years, ending only when she blew out her knee. During her playing career, Kristi was highly ranked in Northern California in singles, doubles and mixed doubles, and was scheduled to begin playing in Grand Slam events in just a few months. At the time of her retirement, Kristi was the most highly ranked American Indian in the history of tennis. Rosie Casals (now an International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee) was Kristi’s coach and proved to be an enormous influence on her life. When Kristi’s knee blew out, it was Rosie who told her to go to college until she discovered what she wanted to do next. Kristi, then, became the first person in her family to attend college.
Kristi earned her BA in women studies and philosophy from the University of Colorado working closely with Alison Jaggar. She stayed at Colorado for her MA, which she earned in religious studies, specifically American Indian philosophy and culture, working with Vine Deloria, Jr. Kristi earned her PhD in cultural studies of physical activity and sport from the School of Public Health at the University of Maryland in May 2016, working closely with Patricia Hill Collins. She is now Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
