If you’re in Great Britain, or can get yourself there (specifically, Glasgow) on November 16-17, and you have any kind of academic bent, you need to think about submitting a proposal for the next meeting of the British Animal Studies Network. Why? Because the topic at this meeting will be the most important one confronting anyone who cares about animals. Entitled, simply, “Farm,” this meeting will encompass discussions of:
- historical modes of animal agriculture and farming
- the artistic representation of farming and farm animals
- animals and land use / transformation
- the religious and symbolic meanings of farm animals
- agricultural science and the construction of animals
- the place of farming in the modern world
The meeting welcomes scholars from any academic subject area, and hopes to draw speakers from a wide range of career stages. Abstracts are due on June 29.
The usefulness of these events depends entirely on the voices that are present at them. People who are interested in animal studies run the gamut from those who are perfectly comfortable with exploitation to those that are adamantly opposed. Those who believe that the “Farm” is a place where animals simply don’t belong must be heard.
