“Domesticity and Beyond: Living and Working with Animals”
(Conferences by : Kristin Andrews, Jean Harvey, Wendy Adams, Sue Donaldson and Will Kymlicka, Mick Smith and Lori Gruen)
What do we owe the animals we live and work alongside, and those who are beyond our reach but inevitably affected by human decision-making? How can we move beyond the problem of harm to cultivate animal-human relationships in morally informed and politically effective ways? Human relationships with animals are pervasive and inevitable, and yet it is only recently that the animal ethics literature has begun to seriously address such questions. Moreover, past political efforts to address and rectify the exploitation of animals have been sorely ineffectual.
With the aim of increasing momentum for the burgeoning philosophical and advocacy movement that takes seriously the ubiquity, complexity, and diversity of animal-human relationships, this symposium brings together a talented and engaged group of scholars and practitioners in the broad area of animal ethics. Together we will explore possibilities for just and cooperative relationships between humans and animals, moving beyond older debates about intrinsic moral status to think about the significance of different contexts and sorts of relationships. We will explore these themes both theoretically and in terms of practical advocacy.
Esteemed philosopher Paola Cavalieri recently suggested that animals are, once again, knocking at the door of the polis.
Domesticity and Beyond will be held in Kingston, Ontario from September 29-30, 2012.
View the bios of our distinguished presenters as well as the event schedule.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Kristin Andrews: Why we need folk psychology in comparative psychology
Jean Harvey: Relationships, Inclusion, and Obligations: Reflecting on Companion Animals
Wendy Adams: They have so much to teach us: Popular culture and the normative construction of animal-human relationships
Sue Donaldson and Will Kymlicka: Citizen Canine: Domesticated Animals and Agency
Mick Smith: Denizens: Why natural and social histories matter
Lori Gruen: Do we need to live with other animals?
Sunday, September 30, 2012
9:00-9:30: Panel on “Bridging Academia and Advocacy” to introduce parallel workshops, with Lauren Corman, Mark Holland, and Laura Janara
- Workshop 1: The Working Voice: Human-Animal Relations, Agency, and Resistance Under Capitalism , led by Lauren Corman
- Workshop 2: The Prospects for Legislative Change (tentative), led by Mark Holland
- Workshop 3: Nonhuman Animals, Humans and Practice at the University: A Report from UBC, led by Laura Janara
And if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the organizers here at Queen’s University.