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CFP: THE VIEW FROM THE ANTHROPOCENE

Mar7

The Institute of English and American Studies,
Faculty of Humanities, University of Debrecen, Hungary
invites you to participate in the conference titled

THE VIEW FROM THE ANTHROPOCENE:
EXPLORING THE HUMAN EPOCH FROM POST-ANTHROPOCENTRIC PERSPECTIVES

on 15-16 October 2022

“If the sadness of life makes you tired
And the failures of man make you sigh
You can look to the time soon arriving
When this noble experiment winds down and calls it a day”

In this age of ecological, economic and social crises, the notion of the Anthropocene is becoming ever more significant. Proposed by Paul J. Crutzen and Eugene F. Stoermer in 2000, the Anthropocene as a new geological epoch highlights detrimental human impact on the planet, while as a critical notion it synthetises anti-, non- or post-anthropocentric views challenging the dominant discourses and practices that place humans at the centre of the world. However, with its scope incessantly expanding and its meanings ever in flux, the Anthropocene requires constant redefinition and reassessment. So far it has been criticised for its ideological implications and several terms such as Plantationocene (Haraway 2015), Capitalocene (Moore 2016, Davies 2016), and Occidentalocene (Bonneuil and Fressoz 2017) have been offered as alternatives. Yet could we define the Anthropocene and its implications more clearly and harmoniously? Above all, it is an urgent warning about the future of ecosystems, cultures and societies alike, forcing us to realise that “we are embedded in various social, economic, and—especially—ecological contexts that are inseparably connected” (Kersten 2013). Addressing the need for coherence across versatile approaches, the conference calls for a transdisciplinary investigation of the challenges of our age.

We also realise that the Anthropocene must be acted upon, although its cry for action is crippling. As Judy Wilson put it during one of the panel discussions at COP26, “the human epoch is not only external, it is also internal”, for it not only denotes a number of ecological and social crises – including climate change, loss of biodiversity, pollution, poverty and starvation in the global south, causing waves of migration which in turn fuel global conflict –, but it also involves anxiety and apathy that render us passive in the face of these crises. As Liz-Rejane Issberner and Philippe Léna put it, it seems “as though humanity is being lethargic – waiting for the end of the film, when the heroes arrive to sort everything out, and we can all live happily ever after” (2018).

The conference aims to address some of the controversies, the lethargy and (wilful) ignorance that conceal the significance of the Anthropocene, exploring the notion itself as well as its theoretical and practical challenges from the perspectives of posthumanism, animal studies, ecocriticism and any other approaches that question anthropocentrism from their respective viewpoints. We invite proposals that may address, yet are not restricted to, the following topics:

  • Critiques of and conceptual alternatives to the Anthropocene—Donna Haraway’s ‘Cthulhucene’, JasonMoore’s ‘Capitalocene’, Bernard Stiegler’s ‘neganthropocene’ and the like
  • Cli-fi, dystopian and/or utopian responses to climate change
  • Speculative and fantastic fiction related to the Anthropocene
  • Eco-anxiety
  • Fantastic texts exploring indigenous worldviews on ecology
  • Literary fiction or other media that interrogate humanity’s relationship with other lifeforms
  • Literary fiction or other media that question the human/animal boundary
  • Human-Animal Studies, Literary and Cultural Animal Studies, Animal Ethics, Critical Animal Studies
  • The non- and posthuman other (animals, plants, monsters, aliens, artificial intelligence) in art, literature, cinema and other media
  • Nonhuman perspectives in literature and cinema; the nonhuman gaze
  • Non-anthropocentric spaces and temporalities in literature and cinema
  • Ecocriticism, environmental humanities, deep ecology and ecosophy
  • Eco-horror; aesthetics and themes
  • Bioethical considerations
  • Posthumanism, post- and transhumanist frameworks, posthumanist ethics
  • Anti-humanism, meta-humanism
  • Speculative realism, object-oriented ontologies, new materialism, post-anthropocentric ecologytheories, theories of social assemblage
  • Object-oriented art; bioart, microbial art
  • Eco-art, eco-literature, eco-media, eco-cinema

Confirmed plenary speakers include Márk Horváth and Ádám Lovász who will give a talk on the post-anthropocentric turn, and László Nemes, who will speak about his current inquiry into the ethics of de-extinction. Accompanying programmes will include a roundtable discussion addressing the challenges of the Anthropocene, with participants from various fields including philosophy, literary and film criticism, biology, and psychology; a photography exhibition; and a multimedia art event organised by the members of Művészek a klímatudatosságért (Artists for Climate Awareness). With these programmes we hope to turn the collective experience of inertia symptomatic of the Anthropocene into awareness, new forms of agency, and action.

“Time has come now to stop being human
Time to find a new creature to be
Be a fish or a weed or a sparrow
For the earth has grown tired and all of your time has expired.”
(Thinking Fellers Union Local 282: “Noble Experiment”)

Technical details:

The conference is planned as an on-site event, to be held in English and Hungarian, on 15-16 October 2022 at the University of Debrecen. Depending on the dynamics of the pandemic, we will nevertheless adapt and consider moving parts of or the whole conference to a digital platform. Participants will be informed about any changes via email in due time.

Please send a 250 word abstract of your proposed paper with a brief, max. 100 word biography to theviewfromtheanthropocene@gmail.com by June 30, 2022. Those who wish to present in Hungarian are also welcome, but are kindly asked to include an English version of their abstract and mini bio in their application. Responses will be given by July 31, 2022.

It is intended that a selection of the papers based on the conference presentations will be published, either in a separate collection of articles or a thematic volume in a scholarly journal.

Organising committee:

  • Zsófia Novák and Borbála László (PhD students, Department of British Studies, IEAS, UD);
  • Tamás Bényei, DSc (professor, Department of British Studies, IEAS, UD);
  • György Kalmár, PhD (reader, Department of British Studies, IEAS, UD).

For more information please visit the event’s Facebook group or contact the organizers at the following e-mail address: theviewfromtheanthropocene@gmail.com.

We are looking forward to welcoming you at the conference!



EACAS Conference week is upon us

Jun20

We are all looking forward to our 7th biennial conference taking place this Thursday and Friday. If you were not able to register, most of the sessions will be recorded and available in time. Over 280 people have registered making it the biggest ever EACAS conference!

Call for abstracts: 6th Conference of the European Association for Critical Animal Studies (Barcelona, Spain)

Sep19

Rethinking revolution: Nonhuman animals, antispeciesism and power 6th Conference of the European Association for Critical Animal Studies (EACAS)

Barcelona, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Campus Poblenou, 22-24 May 2019

Deadline for submission of abstracts: 15 December 2018

International conference at Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, hosted by:

  • The European Association for Critical Animal Studies
  • The UPF-Centre for Animal Ethics
  • The CRITICC Research Group
  • The Department of Communication

Location:

Universitat Pompeu Fabra
Department of Communication – Poblenou Campus

Roc Boronat, 138 – Barcelona 08108 – Catalonia – Spain

Website: eventum.upf.edu/go/EACAS2019

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Conference theme

Although human exploitation of nonhuman animals is by no means a modern development, it has grown exponentially in the last century. It is under capitalism that human abuse of their power over nonhuman animals has reached a massive scale, with a corresponding massive worsening of its consequences. This includes the suffering of trillions of sentient beings exploited in miserable conditions and killed for trivial purposes in the majority of cases, but also the massive contribution to global warming of industries like agribusiness, as well as the negative impact these practices have on social justice, intra-human violence and human health. The animal liberation movement therefore not only calls for justice and compassion for nonhuman animals, but also confront the results of industrial capitalism and modernity with a radical consciousness-raising claim. This claim is radical because it provides the most accurate condemnation of privilege and the status quo by revealing how inequality does not exist only at the intra-species level, but also at the inter-species level, and that both levels are closely interlinked and thus ought to be addressed jointly.

In the spirit of the field of Critical Animal Studies, the aim of this conference is to encourage scholars, students and activists to rethink the revolution that animal liberation theory represents since its inception in the 1970s, a social movement bringing the fight against oppression to its logical conclusion.

The conference welcomes proposals from a variety of scholars and disciplines – including critical academics, independent researchers, students and activists – reflecting on the intersecting themes of the conference: power, total liberation and antispeciesism.

Other themes

The conference also welcomes papers focused on any topic critically addressing nonhuman animals’ exploitation from a social science or humanities perspective, including but not limited to the following themes:

  • Animal advocacy and activism
  • Animal ethics
  • Animal law
  • Animal liberation
  • Animal liberation as a social movement
  • Animal oppression and intersectionality
  • Animal rights
  • Animal sanctuaries studies
  • Critical animal and media studies
  • Culture-Nature dualism and its criticism
  • Ethology and social perceptions of animals
  • Interspecies justice
  • Multispecies politics
  • Nonhuman animals and ableism
  • Nonhuman animals and agency
  • Nonhuman animals and capitalism
  • Nonhuman animals and colonialism
  • Nonhuman animals and communication
  • Nonhuman animals and critical race studies
  • Nonhuman animals and critical theory
  • Nonhuman animals and feminisms
  • Nonhuman animals and queer studies
  • Nonhuman animals and oppression theories
  • Nonhuman animals and political theory
  • Nonhuman animals and social class
  • Nonhuman animals and social justice
  • Nonhuman animals and social theory
  • Nonhuman animals, language and representation
  • Normative aspects of animal liberation
  • Vegan studies

The conference encourages the approach of critical animal studies and non-speciesist perspectives on all sorts of discrimination, oppression and abuse towards farmed animals, animals in labs and animals in entertainment, among others, including animals living in the wild.

Submission guidelines

All abstracts must be written in English.

Abstracts should include:

  • Abstract Title of 30 words maximum
  • Abstract Text of 500 words maximum
  • A brief biography of the author (150 words maximum) including name, affiliation and contact details

The number of submitted abstracts per author is limited to two.

Abstracts must be submitted to: cae@upf.edu

We strongly encourage submissions by women and other socially underrepresented groups.

IMPORTANT DATES

  • Start of Abstract Submission: 17 September 2018
  • Deadline for submission of abstracts: 15 December 2018
  • Decisions on abstracts will be notified by: 15 January 2019
  • Online registration opens (compulsory): 15 January 2019
  • Deadline for online registration: 15 April 2019
  • Conference opens: 22 May  2019
  • Conference closes: 24 May 2019

Registration fees:

  • Normal:    50€
  • Reduced: 25€ (for students, unemployed people or individuals with a low income).

Other information:

  • Attendance certificates will be handed out at the end of the conference.
  • All sessions will be held in English with the exception of one round table with Spanish and Catalan animal advocates.
  • All the food offered at the conference will be vegan (free lunch and coffee breaks)
  • Optional self-pay dinner: There will be a social event on Thursday night

For more information about the conference, or to submit an abstract, please email the organizing committee at: cae@upf.edu

Website: eventum.upf.edu/go/EACAS2019

Conference on Animal Rights in Europe (PRAGUE)

Jul20

The Conference on Animal Rights in Europe (CARE) is taking place in Prague this year! CARE is an international conference aimed at connecting and inspiring animal rights groups throughout Europe.

Early bird registration: until the 22nd of July 2018 (this Sunday).

The conference is a chance to meet and grow with organizations and individuals both new and established. This will be an opportunity to meet minds, exchange ideas, and share strategies to strengthen the cause as a whole.

This is an extremely critical time for the cause – as more inhumane industry sweeps across Europe, more action and education is necessary. Animals are not the only ones who benefit from this movement – humans and the environment do too. We encourage powerful activists and participants from all realms to participate in the event.

More information on https://careconf.eu/

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CFP: (Un)common worlds: Contesting the limits of human–animal communities

Oct24

Human–Animal Studies Conference — 7–9 August 2018 Turku, Finland

 

The Finnish Society for Human-Animal Studies (YKES) is proud to organize the first international Human-Animal Studies conference held in Finland.

Keynote speakers are Erica Fudge (University of Strathclyde), Jamie Lorimer (University of Oxford) and Helena Telkänranta (University of Bristol and University of Helsinki)

The deadline for abstracts: February 28, 2018.

Conference website: https://uncommonworlds.wordpress.com/

 

Conference call:

Humans and other animals share spaces and create communities together. They touch each other in various symbolic and material ways, constantly crossing and redrawing communal, ethical and very practical boundaries. As of late, this multifarious renegotiation of human-animal relations has sparked intense debates both in the public arena and in academia.

For instance, Bruno Latour argues that the anthropocene (marking the massive human impact on ecosystems) creates a new territory in which traditional subject/object separations are no longer useful. What is called for is the transgressing or dissolving of these limits in order to “distribute agency as far and in as differentiated a way as possible” (Latour 2014, 16). Various inclusive, more-than-human notions, such as ‘cosmopolitics’ (Stengers 2010) or ’common worlds’ (Latour 2004) are brought forward to this end. These discussions highlight what is becoming a core challenge for various disciplines and fields of study: how to live together in complex places, spaces and societies, with intersecting and overlapping borders and traces of cultures, histories and politics. Furthermore, the discussions bring forth the question of how to work against the premises of exclusive human agency and interest in order to explore and imagine multispecies futures.

However, the various conceptualisations of inclusive, common worlds entail a risk of disregarding or devaluing that which is not shared: the aspects of multispecies lives that cannot be or become common but that nevertheless matter for shared existences. There is also the issue of becoming “common” – of territorialisations and inclusions of some beings to the exclusion of others. What will remain the “uncommon” (i.e. unconventional) in common worlds? Moreover, are common worlds envisaged as free of political struggles and borders? What are the politics of becoming common and remaining uncommon?

With this Call we invite you to discuss and develop ideas about human-animal worlds both common and uncommon. We invite presentations to this interdisciplinary conference from various fields, including but not limited to social sciences, law, arts and humanities, and natural and environmental sciences. We also invite artists to present their work. If you are interested in this option, please contact the organizers to discuss your ideas.

 

Submission guidelines

Please send your abstract (max. 250 words) by e-mail to uncommonworlds2018@gmail.com no later than February 28, 2018. Please include in your submission the title of your presentation, your name, affiliation, and contact information. We will notify you of acceptance on March 2017.

 

Conference costs and registration

Registration for the conference opens in March 2018.

Early bird registration fees (until 31 May 2018) are 110 Euros for members of the society, 130 Euros for non-members, and 90 Euros for students.

Late bird registration fees (until 31 July 2018) are 130 Euros for members of the society, 150 Euros for non-members, and 110 Euros for students.

The conference fee includes refreshments during the conference. Conference dinner is subject to an additional fee.

 

About the Finnish Society for Human–Animal Studies

The Finnish Society for Human–Animal Studies is a scientific association that brings together researchers in the multidisciplinary field of human–animal studies in Finland. Founded in 2009, the society has since organized six annual national human–animal studies conferences. The society is a member of the Federation of Finnish Learned Societies. For more information, please visit: https://elaintutkimus.wordpress.com/finnish-society-for-human-animal-studies/.

 

Please feel free to circulate this to anyone who might be interested!

Call for papers: 5th European Conference for Critical Animal Studies (Lund, Sweden)

Mar13

NONHUMAN ANIMALS IN SOCIETY: EXPLORING NEW PATHWAYS FOR RESISTANCE, CHANGE AND ACCOMODATION, 5th European Conference for Critical Animal Studies

International conference at Lund University, the Pufendorf Institute

Hosted by the European Association for Critical Animal Studies

The 26th to 28th of October 2017

Keynote Speakers:

  • Zipporah Weisberg, independent scholar
  • Volker Sommer, professor of Evolutionary Anthropology.

Conference Website: https://animalsconferencelund.wordpress.com

CALL FOR PAPERS

Historically, nonhuman animals have been placed outside the realm of society and the social. Often relegated to being part of ‘nature,’ nonhuman animals are often represented as the passive and subordinate counterpart of ‘culture’. These social constructions and representation of other animals have contributed to the sustainment of human supremacy and dominance, which until this day permeate the conditions of nonhuman animals in society. Over the past decades, a growing body of literature, cultural texts and scholarly work has dealt critically with the devaluation and misrepresentation of other animals. Influenced by “the animal turn” in the humanities and social sciences, this scholarship has examined both the presence and absence, the visibility and invisibility of nonhuman animals in society. By means of highlighting the social nature of these representations, work has been done to render nonhuman animal resistance, and change more visible. Additionally, with recent developments within scientific disciplines such as ethology, a new focus of research, one that highlights the individuality and agency of nonhuman animals has emerged. This contributes to an altered view on nonhuman animals, whether they are living within or in the periphery of human societies.

The aim of this conference is to bring to focus how scholarly work can contribute to the disruption and replacement of violent and exploitative practices, while also providing a platform for exploring the variety of ways that more just inter-species relations might be established. Special attention will be given to how scholarships and transdisciplinary work can engage with these problems as they exist in media, politics, popular culture and other aspects of everyday life.

On October 26th to 28th 2017, the 5th European Conference for Critical Animal Studies will be hosted by the European Association for Critical Animal Studies (EACAS).

The conference invites scholars and activists from all disciplines dealing with the three broad and intersecting themes, society, media and culture, and how they are assessed in Critical Animal Studies.

The conference welcomes proposals from a variety of scholars and disciplines, including radical academics, independent researchers, students and community activists. Papers may focus on any aspect of the three stands, including but not limited to the following themes:

  • Nonhuman animals and media
  • Nonhuman animals and culture
  • Culture – nature-dualism and its criticism
  • Nonhuman animals and social theory
  • Nonhuman animals and critical theory
  • Social Justice and nonhuman animals
  • Ethology and societal perception of animals
  • Normative aspects of animals in media and culture
  • The political principles of animal liberation
  • The construction of just interspecies institutions.
  • The politics and political theory of interspecies co-existence at farm sanctuaries
  • Histories and genealogies of multispecies politics and communities
  • Nonhuman animals and agency
  • Nonhuman animals and social classes
  • Nonhuman animals and colonialism
  • Animal liberation and anarchism
  • Animal liberation as a social movement
  • Nonhuman animals and feminism
  • Nonhuman animals and ableism
  • Nonhuman animals and critical race studies

The conference encourages the emancipatory approach of scholar activists in the field of critical animal studies.

Please note that there will be a 40€ registration fee for the conference. Registration for students, unemployed people or individuals with a low income will be 20€.

Prospective speakers are invited to submit abstracts of 500 words, and a brief biography including name, affiliation and contact details.

Deadline for submission of abstracts: 28th April 2017

Decisions on abstracts: 22nd May 2017

For more information about the conference, or to submit an abstract, please email the organising committee: animalsconferencelund@gmail.com

https://animalsconferencelund.wordpress.com

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CFP: Workshop: Empathy, Animals, Film

Feb5

Call for participation and papers for phd candidates and postdocs

Workshop: Empathy, Animals, Film

With Prof. Lori Gruen (Wesleyan University)

International workshop at the University of Basel, June 20, 2017

Guest: Lori Gruen (Convenors: Markus Wild, Friederike Zenker, Livia Boscardin)

Registration Deadline: April 30, 2017

20/21–24 June 2017, the annual conference of the SLSAeu will be held in Basel on the topic of “Empathies” (http://www.empathies2017.com).

In this context, the workshop provides a forum to explore concepts of empathy with regard to animals and especially animals on film.

Empathy is a key concept in contemporary studies focussing on animals e.g. in Animal Ethics or research on Animal Minds. Humans and other animals engage with each other by means of empathy. The understanding thereby ranges from a cognitive ability to put oneself into the shoes of the other to more basic forms of immediate affective resonance. In our workshop, we are particularly keen to discuss Lori Gruen’s idea of ‘Entangled Empathy’. The aim is to bring together the thinking about entangled empathy and cinematic images of animals. In which ways do films contribute to empathetic engagement, respectively might refuse to do so? In a critique of traditional ethic theory, Gruen emphasizes how important the idea of particular animals, cases and contexts is for an alternative model of ethics. Accordingly, we would like to explore the transformative power of particular animals that become visible on film, as well as possible limits of the filmic medium.

We would like to address questions such as: 1) What is specific about empathy towards animals? How do animals engage empathically with humans? 2) What, if any, are the moral values of empathy? What is the moral value of specific concepts of empathy, e.g. entangled empathy? 3) How can we relate concepts of empathy to experiences with animals on film? How does the medium of film – particular films, scenes, cinematic narratives etc. – contribute to the empathic engagement of viewers?

PhD candidates and early postdocs from fields including, but not limited to, philosophy, anthropology, human-animal-studies, cultural studies, film studies and media studies are encouraged to participate. To apply for participation, please submit both a short CV and a short letter of motivation.

Participants who wish to discuss their own work are encouraged to submit a short abstract of their presentation (1 page). Be prepared to give a 15-min presentation. We invite submissions concerning the work of Lori Gruen (e.g. discussions of the concept of entangled empathy and related topics) and/or the topic of animals in visual media. The conference language is English.

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Please hand in all documents electronically to Friederike Zenker: The deadline for submissions is April 30, 2017.  Notice of acceptance or rejection will be announced on May 12, 2017. For questions or further information please contact Friederike Zenker

Contact

Friederike Zenker friederike.zenker@unibas.ch

University of Basel / eikones NFS Bildkritik / Rheinsprung 11 / CH – 4051 Basel

CARE: Conference on Animal Rights in Europe

Jul7

We are happy to invite you to the first international animal rights conference held in Warsaw, Poland.

29th – 31th July 2016

Our goal is to provide a platform for networking and skill-sharing and to make space for a debate about strategies, visions and paths for the animal rights movement.

We also want to foster solidarity with new organizations that are entering the animal rights movement. We want to empower activists from Eastern Europe and all other countries which do not have a long history of animal advocacy.

3 day program of the conference will feature over 50 lectures and workshops (⅔ of them in English, ⅓ in Polish), structured in blocks:
– Successful Campaigns
– The Psychology of Eating Meat
– Vegan Campaigning
– The Politics of Animal Rights
– Fundraising
– Psychological hygiene for activists
– Investigations
– Starting an organization
– Corporate Outreach
– Lobbying*
– Effective altruism and animals

We will publish list of speakers and detailed program soon. Please sign up to our newsletter to be the first one to receive updates.
=> http://www.careconf.eu/

Facebook event: CARE: Conference on Animal Rights in Europe

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Announcing the new European Association for Critical Animal Studies (EACAS)

Nov1

Dear friends,

We are pleased to announce today on World Vegan Day the formation of a new organisation – The European Association for Critical Animal Studies (EACAS). Following a successful 4 th European conference earlier this month in Lisbon we feel that the time is right to focus energy on what is now a vibrant situation for critical animal studies in Europe. As CAS in Europe grows we see the need for a specific European organisation. Therefore we have decided to create EACAS with a view to being an autonomous non-hierarchical association for critical animal studies in Europe. We have a good degree of knowledge of developments in Europe and we have widespread support for this new association.  We believe that it can be an effective forum for networking us all together.

We envisage no Directors or Board but an equal membership of academics, students and activists who will work together to promote both CAS and the necessary radical shift in human/animal relations. We envisage no paid membership at this point in time although a voluntary process of donation will be introduced shortly in order to assist us with our activities.

If you wish to join EACAS simply e-mail us with a 100 word bio (including current work, main interests and main academic discipline if you feel this is applicable) and a photograph (this is optional). We intend to have a register of members on the EACAS web-site.

Chief amongst our tasks will be to seek potential locations for the 5 th conference to take place, probably in 2017. We also hope to publish a newsletter of developments in Europe on the EACAS web-site (therefore please do send us your news). We also hope to host or link to a European mailing list / listserv. Please also let us know when you contact us whether you would like to be active in EACAS and whether you wish to help with the administration of the Association. Your ideas for EACAS are most welcome!

 

Very best wishes,

Tereza Vandrovcová, Czech Republic.
Richard Twine, England.
Livia Boscardin, Switzerland.
Elisa Aaltola, Finland.
Matthew Cole, England.
Arianna Ferrari, Karlsruhe, Germany.
Kathrin Herrmann, Berlin, Germany.
Claire Molloy, England.
Helena Pedersen, Sweden.
Erika Cudworth, England.
Wahida Khandker, England.
Núria Almiron, Barcelona, Spain.
Richard White, England.
Kate Stewart, England.
Kay Peggs, England.

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E-mail – eacas.eu@gmail.com

Web-site – eacas.eu

Facebook page: European Association for Critical Animal Studies – EACAS

 

This entry was posted on November 1, 2015, in Europe.

Call for Book Chapter Contributions

Oct30

The Ethics of Animal experimentation: Working towards a paradigm change

Editors: Kathrin Herrmann and Kimberley Jayne

Even though nonhuman animals are used for a variety of different purposes, their use in research particularly has remained an ethical challenge. It is evident that nonhuman animals in laboratories are exposed to a great deal of physical and psychological suffering, and that the use of animals in research is growing internationally.

Arguably, legal reforms around the world have insufficiently improved the protection of nonhuman animals. However, Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes in the European Union is radical compared to other legislation.  The Directive promotes a change of paradigm in nonhuman animal experimentation in establishing a goal of the full replacement of the use of live animals in research and education as soon as it is scientifically feasible (Recital 10).

Building on the radical vision of Directive 2010/63/EU, this book aims to illustrate the current situation for nonhuman animals used in science and aims to give a future outlook to the end of their use in research. Besides exploring the current ethical challenges and scientific controversies related to animal experimentation, this Volume aims to discuss ways to work towards a fundamental change of paradigm. We invite contributions from interdisciplinary scholars who share a vision for how this abolition of animal research can be achieved. The goal is to find solutions for this urging problem that are led by a culture of compassion for all animals.

List of recommended topics (but not limited to):

  • The legal framework: history, present and future prospects for an end of nonhuman animal use in science
  • The culture of language around the use of animals in research
  • The efficacy of the ‘Culture of Care’ incl. Refinement
  • Methods for assessing the quality of animal research (e.g. ARRIVE guidelines)
  • The politics of nonhuman animal experimentation
  • Transparency that benefits animals versus transparency that appeases the public and inhibits potential scrutiny and outrage (e.g. UK Concordat)
  • The capabilities and boundaries of public engagement
  • The psychological and social implications for animal research staff
  • The consequences of education and training using animals
  • The 3Rs – what is in it for the nonhuman animals
  • The connection/intersection between testing on humans and nonhuman animals
  • The challenges for the change of paradigm

Please submit your abstract (max. 500 words) and short bio (max. 150 words) to

Kathrin Herrmann (kathrinherrmann@gmail.com) or Kimberley Jayne (kimberley.jayne@outlook.com) by January 31 st 2016. Acceptance of submitted papers will be based upon relevance, quality and originality. By March 15 th 2016, we will inform you if your abstract was successful.

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