6th Conference of the European Association for Critical Animal Studies (EACAS)

Rethinking revolution: Nonhuman animals, antispeciesism and power

6^th Conference of the European Association for Critical Animal Studies (EACAS)

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

(CALL FOR ABSTRACTS CURRENTLY OPEN)

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

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