Animals and Society Conference - 13-19 July, 2009

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The University of Newcastle and the Animals in Society (Australia) Study Group are hosting the 2009 International Academic and Community Conference on Animals and Society. Subtitled 'Minding Animals', the Conference is bound to be a benchmark event in the study and interpretation of human nonhuman animal interrelationships. It will be held between 13 and 19 July, 2009.

The 2009 Minding Animals Conference will bring together a broad range of academic disciplines and representatives from universities, non-government organisations and the community, industry and government from across the planet. Conference delegates will examine the interrelationships between human and nonhuman animals from a cultural, historical, geographical, environmental, moral, legal and political perspectives.

Further, the conference will bring together an unheralded number of leading scientists, philosophers and social theorists, academics and community leaders, all committed to animal protection and welfare, but never having all met at the one event.

The confirmed dinner and plenary speakers alone (alphabetical order, and the number is not yet exhausted) will provide you with an idea of breadth of knowledge and importance of this conference:

• Professor Carol Adams
• Professor Emeritus Marc Bekoff
• Professor J Baird Callicott
• Nobel Laureate Professor JM Coetzee
• Professor Dale Jamieson
• Professor Val Plumwood
• Professor Emeritus Tom Regan
• Distinguished Professor Bernard Rollin
• Dr Andrew Rowan
• Professor James Serpell
• Professor Peter Singer (to be finally confirmed)
• Professor Emeritus Michael Soulé
• Professor Paul Waldau
• Professor Jennifer Wolch

The conference will have six major themes and objectives:

• To reassess the relationship between the animal and environmental
movements in light of climate change and other jointly-held threats
and concerns

• To examine how humans identify and represent nonhuman animals in
art, literature, music, science, and in the media and on film

• How, throughout history, the objectification of nonhuman animals
and nature in science and society, religion and philosophy, has led
to the abuse of nonhuman animals and how this has since been
interpreted and evaluated

• To examine how the lives of humans and companion and domesticated
nonhuman animals are intertwined, and how science, human and
veterinary medicine utilise these important connections

• How the study of animals and society can better inform both the
scientific study of animals and community activism and advocacy

• And how science and community activism and advocacy can inform
the study of nonhuman animals and society

An extensive list of subjects is being developed that will be allotted concurrent sessions. These subject will greatly expand on our conference themes. This will be announced in January.

Planning for the conference is well advanced. Our website will also be launched at the end of January 2008 and will be advertised widely. The website is currently under construction. I will send a further email to this e-list when it has been launched.

At that time you will be able to either register or at least complete our 'Expression of Interest in Attending' form. In the meantime, if you are interested in receiving further information or express an interest in attending, please email Rod Bennison at rod.bennison@newcastle.edu.au

Or call 04 1491 4040 (Australian Eastern Summer Time) to discuss the conference.

School of Environmental and Life Sciences
University of Newcastle
University Drive
Callaghan NSW 2308