Researcher in Animal Ethics | Research and Community Coordinator
christiane.bailey@concordia.ca | Montreal, Canada | Bilingual (English/French)
PROFILE
Researcher and knowledge mobilization coordinator with 15 years of expertise in animal ethics and animal advocacy. Currently serving as Coordinator of the Social Justice Centre at Concordia University, where I manage research collaborations, organize interdisciplinary public events, develop partnerships with advocacy organizations and engage with community and grassroots activists. I am passionate about translating complex research into accessible tools that empower advocates and about developing research projects informed by social movements. I have a long-standing engagement with animal advocates and with promoting animal rights in academia and mainstream media.
CURRENT POSITION
Coordinator, Social Justice Centre | Concordia University
2019 – Present | Montreal, Canada
- Coordinate interdisciplinary research initiatives across departments and institutions and facilitate collaborations for a social justice hub for researchers, faculty, students, and external advocates
- Organize academic conferences, international workshops, panels, and public lectures involving scholars, students, and community organizations (30+ events per year, see our online calendar)
- Translate academic research into accessible formats for broader audiences and for activists through public programming and outreach
- Manage communications, website (with AEM), and social media content
- Design all visual communications, including posters, social media graphics, and promotional materials, using Canva and Photoshop
- Manage a budget of 200k per year (1.3 million since 2019), and organize fellowships for graduate students and international postdoctoral researchers
- Build partnerships with community organizations, including:
- the non-profit grassroots organization Droit animalier Québec (DAQ) for a series of 5 sessions of free popular education on animal law and animal ethics (Hybrid events, more than 400 registrations)
- the international activist network We the Free (I organized a workshop for animal rights activists)
- the Estivales de la question animale in Québec (in French) – an annual 3-day summer retreat connecting activists and researchers (since 2017)
- Give media interviews and talks on animal issues at conferences, festivals, and public events
OTHER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Course Author | Sudbury University (Ontario)
2018–2022
Designed university courses in philosophy and ethics for remote learning.
- Philosophy of Nature and the Environment (PHIL 3217)
- Contemporary Ethical Problems (PHIL 2525) with Martin Gibert
Instructor (online – covid) | York University – Glendon College (Ontario)
Winter 2021
- Law, Justice and Equality (PHIL 2925) – Responsibilities included curriculum design, online teaching, and facilitating discussions on contemporary ethical issues.
Digital transition manager for a professional photo studio | Photographie Marc Bailey (Québec)
2003-2006
- I oversaw and implemented the transition of an award-winning photography studio to digital.
RESEARCH COMMUNICATION & PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
Media & Public Outreach – Volunteer experience with grassroots organizations
I served as media spokesperson for many animal advocacy organizations:
- Interviews on national TV, Radio and Print about the lawsuit against the Québec government by the non-profit DAQ – Droit Animalier Québec, contesting the legality of rodeos since the new legal status of animals (May 2025)
- Communication manager for an investigation on a turkey farm by the grassroots animal protection group BESA – Bien-être et sécurité animale (December 2024) – coverage in the Montreal Gazette (in English)
- Interview on a major TV network about footage released by activists of a pig farm in Québec (TVA Nouvelles, TV and Print) (October 2023)
Translating academic research into accessible formats for diverse audiences
In my capacity as coordinator of the Social Justice Centre, I organized numerous public events to educate people about the ethics and politics of our relationships with animals, and I participated in an educational video to introduce the concept of speciesism to college-level students (ATOPOS, 2023).
Before 2019, I was already involved in many public-facing events, such as:
- Co-organization of the Conferences for the Montreal Vegan Festival (in 2016 and 2017)
- Organization of ZooPop: Questions d’éthique animale, a series of popular education courses held in bars (6 sessions at the Upop: Université populaire de Montréal, 2014)
- Organization of the World Day for the End of Speciesism – a day of conferences with guest speakers, followed by a street protest and a public screening (2015)
I am also a regular media contributor: Radio-Canada (TV, Radio, and Print), Le Devoir, L’Actualité, Québec Science, and podcasts (see my online cv for details).
RESEARCH EXPERTISE
I have a deep subject matter expertise directly aligned with Faunalytics’ mission and research areas:
- Animal ethics, animal rights theory, and political philosophy of human-animal relations
- Ecofeminism, intersectional approaches to animal advocacy, and anti-speciesism
- Animal law and policy, especially surrounding the recognition of animals as sentient beings in Québec
- Social movement theory, advocacy strategy, and civil disobedience in animal rights contexts
- Environmental ethics and multispecies justice
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
- Bailey, C. « Des animaux et des femmes : La thèse des oppressions liées selon les écoféministes antispécistes », Ateliers de l’éthique/The Ethics Forum, vol. 18, no 1, 2024.
- [On the notion of linked oppressions within ecofeminist theory]
- Bailey, C. De la suprématie humaine aux droits des animaux, Revue Possibles, Special Issue « Antispécisme. Penser et agir pour les animaux », Vol. 48, no 1, 2024.
- [Co-edition of a special issue introducing antispeciesism to a general audience]
- Bailey, C. & Labonté, J-F. La philosophie à l’abattoir. Réflexions sur le bacon, l’empathie et l’éthique animale, Atelier 10, 2018.
- [Introductory book on animal ethics for college students – reprinted twice, 10,000 copies sold]
- Bailey, C. « L’éthique de nos relations aux animaux », in Létourneau & Pigeon, Éthique de l’alimentation et de l’agriculture, Presses de l’Université Laval, 2018.
- [Peer-reviewed chapter presenting the three main positions in the ethics of our relations with animals for university students]
- Bailey, C. « Le double sens de la communauté morale: La considérabilité morale et l’agentivité morale des autres animaux », Les Ateliers de l’éthique/The Ethics Forum, Vol 9, no 3, Automne/Fall 2014.
- [Peer-reviewed article on the moral agency of other social animals]
- Bailey, C. « Zoopolis: A Political Renewal of Animal Rights Theories », Dialogue. Canadian Journal of Philosophy, 52, 2013.
- [Book review available in English and French]
SELECTED TALKS & GUEST LECTURES
- Five talks introducing animal ethics and politics in a series of 5 sessions of free popular education on animal law with the DAQ – Droit Animalier Québec (Fall 2025)
- Activism for Animals – Guest lecture in the course on Animal Ethics by Prof. Valéry Giroux, Université de Montréal (Spring and Fall 2025 – Slides available online)
- Seminar on the philosophical and legal aspects of the notion of essential needs in Quebec’s new law recognizing animals as sentient beings, Observatoire québécois en droit animalier (June 2025 – Slides available online)
- Introduction to the Political turn in animal rights at the Journée d’étude en droit animalier (February 2025 – Slides available online)
- Direct Actions and Civil Disobedience in the Animal Rights Movement, Guest lecture, University of Santa Barbara, California (USA), Vegan Studies (Prof. Renan Larue), November 2018
- 60+ public talks and guest lectures (see my online cv for details)
SKILLS & TOOLS
Digital & Design
- Canva and Photoshop (advanced) — daily use for posters, social media graphics, event materials
- Google Workspace (Docs, Slides, Drive) — visual presentations, collaborative documents
- AEM and WordPress for websites
- Discord, Signal, and social media platforms — community engagement and outreach
- Skilled at learning new tools quickly (Slack, Asana, Nimble, etc.)
Languages
- French (native) | English (fluent) — experience writing and presenting professionally in both languages
EDUCATION
PhD Candidate in Philosophy, specialized in Animal Ethics | Université de Montréal (coursework completed, thesis not submitted)
Human-Animal Studies Fellowship | Wesleyan University USA / Animals and Society Institute (2014) – Feminist Animal Studies Fellowship in honour of Marti Kheel
M.A. Philosophy | Université de Montréal (2011) – Thesis on animals in the work of Martin Heidegger, with exceptional mention
B.A. Film Production | Concordia University (1997-2000)
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
- Centre interuniversitaire de recherche en éthique (CRÉ) – Animal and Environmental Ethics Axis
- Animals in Philosophy, Politics, Law, and Ethics (APPLE) – A research group organized by Sue Donaldson and Will Kymlicka [I regularly attend this interdisciplinary reading group of recently published papers and work-in-progress papers, and I could produce short overviews for Faunalytics]
- Groupe de recherche en éthique environnementale et animale (GREEA)
- Observatoire québécois en droit animalier (OQDA)
- Canadian Society for Critical Animal Studies (CCAS)
- Volunteer at Droit Animalier Québec (DAQ) and at BESA (grassroots animal protection organization)
- Valid Canadian passport — available for travel
UPCOMING COMMUNITY AND ACADEMIC INITIATIVES
I am organizing many events in Summer 2026:
- The first Montreal Animal Rights and Animal Law Conference: Interdisciplinary conference bringing together legal scholars, researchers, and advocates to discuss the 10th anniversary of the new legal status of animals in Québec as sentient beings (May 15-16, 2026 – in French)
- Interdisciplinary Reading Group on Sue Donaldson and Will Kymlicka’s new book Animals and the Right to Politics (June-July 2026) – Online reading group
- Public talk of Maneescha Deckha, Animals as Legal Beings (July 2026)
- Estivales de la question animale (7th edition) – an annual 3-day summer retreat connecting activists and academics (July 2026 – in French)
- Animals at Large: Critical Animal Studies Perspectives on Wild, Feral, and Free-Living Animals – Conference of the Canadian Society for Critical Animal Studies (CCAS) (August 6-7, 2026). Interdisciplinary academic and advocacy conference, connecting researchers and grassroots activists
- Current research project: “The right to rescue and help animals in distress.”