Update: Australian Animal Studies Group Conference, July 2011

There have been some exciting developments in the Australian Animal Studies Group conference programme of late (see Animals, People – a shared environment at www.aasg.com.au).

Firstly, Nigel Rothfels (University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee), well known ‘animals and culture’ academic, author of Savages and Beasts, editor of Representing Animals and co-editor with Garry Marvin of the recently launched Pennsylvania State University Press book series Animalibus: Of Animals and Cultures, has confirmed that he will attend as a keynote speaker.  See Nigel’s homepage for more details: https://pantherfile.uwm.edu/rothfels/www/index.html

Secondly, Professor Ross Woodrow at the Queensland College of Art is to head up an exhibition of human-animal relations artworks, to be held across several galleries (including the POP Gallery) near the conference venue. Commercial galleries featuring works by prominent artists working on animal themes, such as Marian Drew and Madeleine Kelly, will also be invited to participate in the exhibition.  A call for artworks for the QCA event will be sent out later this week.

It is timely to remind you that abstracts  for Animals, People should be submitted via the conference website (www.aasg.com.au) by 28th February.  I want to wholeheartedly encourage you to be part of this event.  Not only will it provide the possibility for face-to-face exchange and networking with colleagues in (human)-animal studies, but also, by its inclusive nature, it offers much needed opportunities for those of us practicing in the creative arts, humanities and social sciences to have this expertise acknowledged and heard by an array of experts working with animals in our communities and by our colleagues in animal law and the animal sciences, including animal welfare science.  It behoves us all, if we wish to see the status of animals raised in the academy and in the community, to support an event such as this.  Please get in touch with Leah Burns (leah.burns@griffith.edu.au), conference convenor if you have any queries.