Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Welcome to the Animals & Society Institute's Human-Animal Studies Report. 

I know I say this a lot, but it bears repeating. The field of Human-Animal Studies (HAS) continues to grow—and to grow exponentially. This month’s New HAS Articles and Book Chapters section shows that interest in our relationships with other animals is very much at the fore in highly disparate journals and books—from religion and tourism, to literature, narrative and science fiction, to developmental and conservation science, to philosophy and politics. 

Most certainly, this type of broad exposure expands our understandings of nonhuman animals and the relationships we share with them at various levels of scale. But there is another benefit of ASI’s efforts to broaden the field of HAS: Helping increase awareness also helps move animal welfare and protection public policy forward. This month we are pleased to announce that California’s Animal Cruelty & Violence Intervention Act has been signed into law. The Act pertains to the psychological testing and treatment of those who abuse animals, a topic that ASI’s Founder and President of the board, Ken Shapiro, has been forwarding in both academic and policy spaces for over 30 years. 

I also remind faculty with academic programs in HAS to check out the redesign of the ASI website’s Degrees and Programs in Human-Animal Studies page and send us your corrections or programs. Read more about both these topics in the ASI News section below.

Your ongoing support of ASI and our Human-Animal Studies efforts continue to enable us to make these impacts. 

Have a great next month! Stay healthy and safe, and do what you can to protect those you can.

Best,

Gala

Editor’s note: The HAS e-newsletter is organized as follows: Jobs, grants, and calls are ordered chronologically by deadline dates, with the earliest first, and will continue to be posted until the deadlines expire. Books and articles include, where possible, links to access them directly from this email. Because publication reference styles vary by source, they might not always be consistent or pretty, but they will get you there. To read more about the topics discussed, click the bold hyperlinks for source material and additional information. 

Please send your comments, suggestions, and submissions to: [email protected], and if possible include a URL link to your project or announcement.



If you are a faculty member wanting more exposure for your Human-Animal Studies program, the Animals & Society Institute (ASI) would like to offer you to participate in populating its newly redesigned website pages, "Degrees and Programs in Human-Animal Studies." Now in BETA but soon to go live, the resource is one of the most visited on ASI’s website. It features academic programs in various categories—such as undergraduate minor and majors, graduate programs, animal law programs, etc.—and each section is searchable.

Please check and see if your program is already up on the site and looks good. If so, you don’t need to do anything. If don’t see your program on our list or have additions or changes, please let ASI know by emailing [email protected]. To be included in the first wave of updates and additions please send them to us by Monday, November 6. When doing so please make sure to include the following information:

·      Name of university, organization, or other provider

·      Name of program, degree, certificate, etc.

·      Location of program: City, State/Province, Country 

·      URL link to program webpage

On October 9, 2023, California Assembly Bill 829, the “Animal Cruelty & Violence Intervention Act,” authored by Assemblywoman Marie Waldron (R-Valley Center) and sponsored by Social Compassion in Legislation was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom. The release from Social Compassion in Legislation notes “Over the past 30 years, researchers and professionals, led by Dr. Kenneth Shapiro of the Animals & Society Institute, in a variety of human services and animal welfare disciplines, have established significant correlations (the “Link”) between animal abuse, child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, elder abuse and other violent crimes.” The bill will expand currently required counseling for violations of Penal Code 597 to additional sections pertaining to animal abuse, such as those involving malicious violence, willful poisoning, or bestiality. The bill also codifies language which encourages a judge to order a psychological evaluation and, if deemed beneficial after evaluation, to undergo a higher level of treatment in lieu of current mandated counseling. Find out more about ASI’s intervention programs here.

A new Special Issue of the Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 51(2), is out with the theme of Human-Animal Relations. In the Introduction to This Special Issue on Human-Animal Relations, guest editors Harold Takooshian and Christina Donaldson reflect on the history of attempts to include a division on nonhuman animals within the American Psychological Association (APA). In both 1998 and 2005 ASI Board President, Kenneth Shapiro, and Mary Lou Randour, along with hundreds of followers, proposed such a new Division of Human-Animal Studies that would value the well-being of nonhuman animals but were met with fierce opposition from the animal research division of APA. It wasn’t until the APA’s 2017 conference that a new cross-divisional Animal network was formed. It is heartening to see how far the APA has come with this Special Issue that includes articles on understanding human-animal interaction, animals in therapy, reciprocity and the healing relationship, and animal welfare, among other topics. 

This month’s National Link Coalition’s October Link-Letter—concerning animal cruelty’s intersections with child, elder, and domestic abuse and its implications for veterinarians, social workers, prosecutors, legislators, and therapists—topics include: the UN has issued a landmark declaration that children worldwide must be protected from domestic violence and animal cruelty, and Nebraska has become the 40^th state to allow pets to be included in domestic violence protection orders.

There is growing awareness that cephalopods are unique and intelligent beings. Currently, in the United States, cephalopods are not regulated under the Animal Welfare Act and Animal Welfare Regulations and are not included in the Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) is seeking input on a proposed guidance for the use of cephalopods in research, research training, experimentation, or biological testing, or for related purposes. The proposed guidance describes practice standards for institutions with an approved Animal Welfare Assurance, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUCs), and other oversight bodies on avoiding or minimizing discomfort, distress, and pain to cephalopods used for these purposes. Find out more and how to comment on the Request for Information here.

Check out the Faunalytics YouTube page, where their “Faunalytics Explains” video series breaks down results from recent studies in our Research Library to help advocates better understand and apply the findings to their animal advocacy initiatives. They recently produced a four-part video series on research covering companion animal welfare, which includes clear recommendations for advocates. 

Also, a new study from Faunalytics is out. Domination And Exploitation: Understanding Industry Costs For Chicken, Egg, And Fish Products In The United States, Brazil, And China, covers the historical consolidation of these organizations, risks for these companies, and what factors determine the price of animal products.

The latest issue of the ASI-managed journal, Society & Animals, 31(3), is out with the following articles: 

Research Articles

Symbolism, Use, and Knowledge of Birds in Tibetan Communities of China

Authors: Yuanyuan Ji, Shuping Zhang, Selena Ahmed, Feifei Li, Jianqin Li, 

Hang Shu, Weijuan Huang, Guoying Ren, and Chunlin Long

Willingness to Coexist with Jaguars and Pumas in Costa Rica

Author: Jennifer Rebecca Schauer

For Pits’ Sake: Effect of Breed Labels on Perceptions of Shelter Dog Attractiveness

Author: Kate Weseley-Jones

“Four-Legged Terror” or “Ultimate New Yorker”?: Urban Rat Videos and Their Media Reception

Horse Riders’ Perceptions of Communication with Horses and How it Translates to Communication with Family

Authors: A. M. Scholtz, V. Koen, and C. M. Oosthuizen

Political Animals

The Mediation Model: How Non-Moderate Nonhuman Animal Advocacy Organizations Get the Media Coverage They Want

Authors: Erin M. Evans, Edwin Amenta, and Thomas Alan Elliott

A New Definition of Ethical Mentophobia

Author: David Chauvet

Date: 

Book Review

A Historical Look at a Leader of the Early-Era Animal Rights Movement

Author: Bouchara Bejaoui

Pages: 

Film Review

Happy (m)Other’s Day: Raising Hybrid Kids in a Modern World

Author: Michelle Szydlowski

Join The Kerulos Learning Institute is presenting a four-week series of speakers startingFriday, October 20, 2023 at 10:00 am US PT for Contemplative Activism and Nonviolent Action. The speakers will reflect on contemplative activism in their own transformative work and civil resistance. The first speaker is Kim Stallwood, who will discuss “A History of Animal Rights Nonviolent Action.” Register here.

The Literary Animal Project is presenting a webinar, At the Watering Hole

A conversation about Animals in India, on Wednesday October 25, 2023 in which two authors discuss their work. Nasiargi Davé, Indifference: On the Praxis of Interspecies Being (Duke University Press), and Yamini Narayanan, Mother Cow Mother India: A Multispecies Politics of Dairy in India (Stanford University Press). Find out more and register here.

The Animal Law and Science Project at George Washington Law School will be offering webinars at the intersection of law, natural science, and social science in order to facilitate and enhance a productive relationship between animal law and science. Planned webinars include Animal Law 101 for Scientists, Natural Science 101 for Animal Lawyers, and Social Science 101 for Animal Lawyers. For more information, contact Lori Marino or Kathy Hessler.

Lori Marino’s talk, Tokitae, Kiska, and the Future of 18 Orcas, with the American Cetacean Society, Orange County Division is now available to view.

In Episode 223 of the Knowing Animals podcast, Devon Docherty, a media assistant with the British animal activist organization Surge, discusses her paper “The cheese paradox: How do vegetarians justify consuming non-meat animal products?” This was coauthored with Dr Carol Jasper and published open access in the journal Appetite.

In Episode 224 of the Knowing Animals podcast, PhD candidate Andrew Lopez discusses his paper “Nonhuman animals and epistemic injustice.” This was published open access in the Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy.

In the podcast Xing the Gap, host Rick Miller interviews HAS scholar and author, Jonathan Balcombe, and WeAnimalsMedia founder and photojournalist, Jo-Anne McArthur.

In the latest New Books Network podcast, host Kyle Johannsen interviews Kendra Coulter about her new book Defending Animals: Finding Hope of the Front Lines of Animal Protection.

Following are some recent books published of interest to the field of Human-Animal Studies.

Joshua Bulleid (2023). Vegetarianism and Science Fiction: A History of  Utopian Animal Ethics. Palgrave Studies in Animals and Literature. Palgrave Macmillan.

Heng Choon (Oliver) Chan, Rebecca W. Y. Wong, Eds. (2023). Animal Abuse and Interpersonal Violence: A Psycho‐Criminological Understanding. Wiley.

Grimm, Oliver, Ed. (2023). Bear and Human: Facets of a Multi-Layered Relationship from Past to Recent Times, with Emphasis on Northern Europe. Brepolis.

Kogan, L.R., Ed. (2023). Careers in One Health: Social Workers’ Roles in Caring for Humans and Their Animal Companions (1st ed.). Routledge

De Nicolas Lainé, Paul G. Keil, Khatijah Rahmat (2023). Composing Worlds with Elephants: Interdisciplinary dialogues. IRD.

Linzey, Andrew & Linzey, Clair, Eds. (2023). The Ethics of Fur: Religious, Cultural, and Legal Perspectives. Lexington Books.

Lauren E. Perry-Rummel (2023). Animal Texts: Critical Animal Concepts for American Environmental Literature. Lexington Books.

Jessica Ullrich & Mieke Roscher (Hrsg.) (2023).Tiere und Geschlecht. Tierstudien 24. (German)

Following are some recent articles and book chapters of interest to the field of Human-Animal Studies.

A new Special Issue of the Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 51(2), is out with the theme of Human-Animal Relations.

The latest issue of Religion, 53(4), is out as a Special Issue themed: Animal Spirit: Other Bodies in Relation. (The Introduction by Teya Brooks Pribac and Jay Johnston is Open Access.)

Blaer, M. (2023). Animal Rescue Tourism: Supporting the Welfare and Rights of Domesticated Street Animals in the Age of Social Media. Tourism Cases. CABI. doi: 10.1079/tourism.2023.0033.

Bulleid, J. (2023). The Speculative Politics of Meat: Utopia, Carnism, and Critical Animal Studies. In: Vegetarianism and Science Fiction: A History of Utopian Animal Ethics. Palgrave Studies in Animals and Literature. Palgrave Macmillan.

Antônio F. Carvalho, Igor Oliveira B. de Morais, Thamyrys B. Souza (2023). Profiting from cruelty: Digital content creators abuse animals worldwide to incur profit. Biological Conservation, 287.

Correia‐Caeiro, C., Lawrence, A., Abdelrahman, A., Guo, K., & Mills, D. (2023). How do children view and categorise human and dog facial expressions?. Developmental Science, 26(3), e13332.

Cara Clancy, Emma McClaughlin & Fiona Cooke (2023). Invisible Animals: Exploring Public Discourses to Understand the Contemporary Status of Donkeys in Britain. Anthrozoös.

Forrest R, Pearson M, Awawdeh L. (2023). Pet Owners’ Attitudes and Opinions towards Cat and Dog Care Practices in Aotearoa New Zealand. Veterinary Sciences. 10(10):606. 

K Horsthemke (2023). The Animal in African Philosophy. In: Elvis Imafidon, Mpho Tshivhase, &Björn Freter (Eds), Handbook of African Philosophy. Springer.

Knight A (2023) The relative benefits for environmental sustainability of vegan diets for dogs, cats and people. PLoS ONE 18(10).

Shannon Lambert & Marco Caracciolo (2023). The scientific lab: Sacrifice zones as contact zones. Textual Practice.

Motta, A.P. and M. Porr, (2023). The jaguar gaze: is it possible to decolonize human-animal relationships through archaeology? In R. de Vos (ed.), Unsettling Subjects and Decolonizing Animals, pp. 185-218. Sydney: Sydney University Press.  

Mickias Musiyiwa (2023). The pluralistic notion of zvipuka: Shona indigenous knowledge and human and nonhuman animal interaction in Zimbabwe, Religion, 53(4), 677-699.

Phillips, Jessica (2023). Proximities and Cross-Species Empathies in Laura Jean McKay's The Animals in That Country. Narrative, 31(3), 255-272

Pickersgill, O., Mills, D. S., & Guo, K. (2023). Owners’ Beliefs regarding the Emotional Capabilities of Their Dogs and Cats. Animals, 13(5), 820.

Schneiders, E., Chamberlain, A., Fischer, J. E., Benford, S., Castle-Green, S., Ngo, V., ... & Mills, D.S. (2023, July). TAS for Cats: An Artist-led Exploration of Trustworthy Autonomous Systems for Companion Animals. In Proceedings of the First International Symposium on Trustworthy Autonomous Systems (pp. 1-5).

Sheldon, E. L., Hart, C. J., Mills, D. S., Soulsbury, C. D., Sumner, R., & Wilkinson, A. (2023). The impact of auditory distraction on learning and task performance in working dogs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 265, 105977.

Christian Stache (2023). Cultural Class Struggle for Animalist Socialism: Featuring Vladimir Mayakovsky. Politics and Animals.

The editors of Animal History invite article submissions for its inaugural volume, to be published in 2025. The journal seeks research on all time periods from the late Paleolithic to the early twenty-first century. Article manuscripts may focus on any geographic region, time period, or species, although they are especially interested in studies concerning peoples of color, indigenous peoples, rural and working-class populations, marginalized communities, and less familiar but important species (from worms and centipedes, to antelope, lizards, clams, and bitterns). They seek to publish rigorous historical work, reading primary sources and material culture against the grain to recover nonhuman lives excluded, ignored, and erased.Submissions open September 15. Find out more here.

The Journal of Aging Studies calls for papers for the Special Issue, The Growing Older of Humans, Non-Humans, and More-than-Humans. This special issue is aimed at broadening the study of aging by addressing three main points. First, aging is almost exclusively associated with humans. Second, human beings become older with multiple others, like objects, technologies, animals, plants, digital data, etc. Third, humans and more-than-humans become-older-together with infrastructures they intra-act with. Applications are open until December 15, 2023.

Trace is a peer-reviewed, fully open access online journal that invites contributions to human-animal studies that deal with a wide range of topics and represent diverse perspectives. The deadline for submissions is December 15, 2023. 

As you can see, ASI is promoting a tremendous amount of activity in the field of Human-Animal Studies. We always invite your input and participation.

Your donation to the Animals & Society Institute will enable us to continue to expand the field in many more ways and work in conjunction with others around the world who share these goals. 

Thank you for supporting ASI's Human-Animal Studies efforts!