Dear ASI Friend,

Happy New Year! As we settle into the new year, we’d like to take a moment and thank you for your continued support over the past year. ASI is proud of what we were able to accomplish in 2022 with you and our advocacy partners, and we continue to be inspired by the support of members and donors like you. Thank you!

In 2022, ASI celebrated significant milestones in our two managed journals as Society & Animals and the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science (JAAWS) celebrated 30 years and 25 years of publication respectively. To commemorate these notable anniversaries, we and the publishers made a series of important previously published articles Open Access for a period of several months.

In addition to this, both Society & Animals and JAAWS released Special Issues in 2022. The Special Issue of Society & Animals, detailed below, focuses on the welfare and public health implications of outdoor community cats, and the JAAWS Special Issue focuses on how global issues such as pandemics, climate change, and other natural disasters affect human-animal relationships. The JAAWS Special Issue was promoted as part of the publisher’s Earth Day collection, and to date has a combined article reach of more than 10,000 views.

Our Brill Human-Animal Studies Book Series saw some exciting additions, too. We released three new volumes in 2022, and introduced an Author Interview Series in which authors of the Book Series discuss their books.

In other ASI news, we are pleased to announce the election of Julie Iovine to ASI’s Board of Directors. Julie Iovine spent her career as a highly-regarded author, journalist and critic in the fields of architecture and design for New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. On retiring from newspaper life, Julie turned to a longtime passion for understanding nonhuman animals, their under-explored social organization, capabilities, and environmental needs. She pursued an advanced degree in Animal Behavior & Conservation at Hunter College, and in 2020 achieved ProDog trainer status at Absolute Dogs, a positive reinforcement concept-based training organization in the U.K. Most recently, Julie is starting to train dogs for Pets for Vets, a national nonprofit training rescue dogs to be dedicated companion support animals for Veterans with PTSD. Julie is thrilled to join—and learn from!—the distinguished professionals and dedicated animal lovers at the Animals & Society Institute.

This year, ASI celebrates 40 years of human-animal studies research and resources! Throughout 2023, we will continue to address and promote research into Human-Animal Relationships and Welfare in the Anthropocene, and look forward to future endeavors like our biodiversity research collection and new policy papers.

Finally, our Colloquium Series, in partnership with the Animals & Society Section of the American Sociological Association, will continue this year with an exciting line-up of speakers. See below for details on our upcoming colloquium.

On behalf of ASI’s Board and Staff, thank you for supporting our mission to advance human knowledge to improve animal lives.

None of it would be possible without you!

With Gratitude, 

Liz Hirky

ASI Chair, Board of Directors

ASI is excited to share the recently published Special Issue of our managed journal, Society & Animals, themed “Outdoor Cats.”

Celebrating 30 Years of Society & Animals: Third Round

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the publication of Society & Animals, in partnership with Brill Publications we have made the third and final batch of previously published articles available for a limited time in Open Access.

Announcing the 25th Anniversary of the Publication of JAAWS

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the publication of JAAWS, the editors and the publisher are happy to provide access links to the full texts of selected articles that have been published over the years. 

Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science

Volume 26 Issue 1 (2023)

The latest issue of JAAWS is out and includes nine new and exciting articles that demonstrably enhance the welfare of nonhuman animals in various settings. 

Animals Matter: Resistance and Transformation in Animal Commodification

We are excited to share the latest release in the ASI-managed Brill Human-Animal Studies Book Series, Animals Matter: Resistance and Transformation in Animal Commodification, which includes one Open Access chapter. In this book, the authors reclaim the term “resistance” by exploring how animals can “resist” their commodification through blocking and allowing human intervention in their lives. 

Absent Interests: On the Abstraction of Human and Animal Milks

Another recent release in the ASI-managed Brill Human-Animal Studies Book Series is, Absent Interests: On the Abstraction of Human and Animal Milks. By asking the question, “How does milk become cow milk, donkey milk, or human milk?” the author takes readers through an ethnographic comparison of milk consumption and production in Croatia in a range of different social settings.

As part of ASI's Interview with the Author Series, we sat down with the Absent Interests author to explore the species difference between milks, and how this difference might not be as stable as one might initially assume.

Upcoming Colloquium Series - February 16, 2023

Our upcoming colloquium will take place on February 16, 2023 and is entitled, 'Service, Support, or Companion?: Species, Ability, and Care in Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) Shelters'.

Presenting at this colloquium will be Dr. Sarah May Lindsay who recently obtained a PhD in Sociology from McMaster University. Dr. Lindsay's dissertation research surveys nonhuman animal co-sheltering policies and practices at women's emergency shelters in Ontario, Canada. 

The Big Cat Public Safety Act, The FDA Modernization Act, and New York’s Pet Store Sale Ban

Welcome to another year of the Policy Corner! We start the year off on an optimistic note with a number of recent wins in the policy world for nonhuman animals.

The University of Lisbon: 2019 Winner Update 

In 2014, ASI launched the Human-Animal Studies International Development Program, a competitive program designed to provide one non-American university with an award each year. The selected universities received financial and consultative support to create and implement their own Human-Animal Studies (HAS) program.  

In 2019, The University of Lisbon (Portugal) was awarded that year’s prize which funded the creation of the HAS Hub and the Animals and Society postgraduate course. The grant has now closed, but there has already been incredible work coming out of the Hub whose postgraduate course is currently in its second year. Alongside the postgraduate course, the Hub recently completed a four-year research project that studied the relationships between animals and children. The Hub has also completed two years of an international summer school, and has an ongoing HAS reading group, Animal Wonder.  

ASI Memberships

Are you or do you know someone graduating and interested in pursuing a career in an animal-related field? Members of ASI receive unique benefits and resources that can help them accomplish their goals and excel in a variety of areas involving human and animal interactions.

Become a part of the ASI community by joining as a Scholar, Student or Professional Member to take advantage of member benefits and help us carry on our good work.