Students from a range of disciplines who are interested in the study of human encounters with other animals are invited to participate in Anthrozoology as International Practice (#AIP2024): A Student Conference in Human-Animal Studies. AIP2024 is a FREE, ONLINE event organised by postgraduate researchers (PGRs) and alumni from the University of Exeter’s Anthrozoology programmes.
All organisers are volunteers who are passionate about promoting anthrozoology/human-animal studies and building a supportive network of early-career peers. This is our fourth year hosting this student conference and all presenters are early career researchers and students. Along with PhD researchers, we also encourage submissions from undergraduates, master’s, and recent alumni interested in pursuing a research degree.
The deadline is 31 July 2024
This is a perfect opportunity for early career researchers, students, and especially prospective doctoral students, to showcase their projects and connect with peers and supportive senior academics. Check out our info videos designed for first-time presenters and answers to some frequently asked questions here. You can find examples of previous presentations on the AIP website and read the AIP2023 conference report published in Society and Animals (Szydlowski et al., 2024).
Presentations will be recorded and shared afterwards (with permission). However, the questions and answers, and the interactive components of workshops will not be recorded as we believe this reduces anxiety in first time presenters and encourages authentic and honest discussions.
Join us 17-19 November 2024!
We endeavour to accommodate different time zones and exact times for each session will be announced along with the presenter line-up later this summer.
Registration to participate is open to everyone, including students, prospective students, and professionals. Senior academics are very welcome to attend, and we encourage you to join us in supporting the next generation of animal studies researchers.
Some highlights from AIP2023
Thanks to generous funding from the Australasian Animal Studies Association (AASA) we were able to acknowledge a couple of our presenters with a merit-based award. These were awarded for outstanding presentations that best fitted with our ethos of respect, dignity, and benefit for other-than-human animals.
Congratulations to our PhD presentation winner, Madelena Mañetto Quick from Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, and our two pre-PhD presentations winners, Alisa Rubinstein (MS Student at Canisius College, US) and Lux Profus (MS Graduate from the University of Warsaw, Poland).
AIP2023 Workshops
Each day featured an interactive workshop. On day one we welcomed hosts from three iROAR podcasts - The Animal Turn, The Deal With Animals, and The Anthrozoology Podcast -to a panel discussion on podcasting and outreach for anthrozoology. Watch the recording here.
On day two, AIP2023 participants were offered the chance to experience the Exeter Anthrozoology as Symbiotic Ethics (EASE) Affective Café. The EASE Working Group’s Affective Café focused upon how we might ethically navigate emotional landscapes during the pursuit of both trans-species research and trans-species co-existence.
The final day workshop featured an interactive discussion exploring the intersectionality of human-donkey realities within the global donkey skin trade. Following an introduction by Dr Michelle Whitham Jones, Head of Education and Training at the Donkey Sanctuary, participants were presented with ‘talking points’ to discuss in breakout rooms.
Recognition for AIP organisers
Last year the Australasian Animal Studies Association (AASA) jointly recognised the effort of AIP organisers - Kris Hill, Michelle Szydlowski, Sarah Oxley Heaney, Jes Hooper, Gill Howarth, Irene Perrett, Louise Hayward, and Tom Aiello – with the 2023 AASA Popular Communication of Animals Studies Prize. The 500 AUD prize money is being used to cover costs and support merit-based awards for AIP2024.
Support AIP!
A primary goal of our conference is to promote and nurture research and more ethical relations with other-than-human animals by engaging very early career researchers and prospective students. We are happy to use our platforms to promote courses, organisations, events, conferences, blogs, podcasts, and other groups with similar interests. #Collaboration not competition!
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter/X, or Instagram and tag us (@aip_conference) to share any anthrozoology-related content.
We would also very much appreciate continued support from organisations, institutions, or individual academics whose ethics align with our own. Please send an email to aipconference21@gmail.com to discuss further.
Please consider showing your appreciation to the AIP2024 organising committee by helping us cover costs: Buy Me A Coffee!
Thank you!
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to making the AIP conferences and community such a success. We hope you will continue to join us in building a community of likeminded peers and welcome newcomers to AIP2024.
Kris Hill recently completed her PhD in Anthrozoology focusing on free-roaming cats. She is dedicated to improving the lives of animals, including humans who care for more than human animals. Since 2019, she has authored or contributed to over 15 peer-reviewed papers or book chapters. Amongst others, she has published in Society & Animals (SOAN), Anthrozoös, and Animal Studies Journal (ASJ). In 2023 she established the Cat Academic Think Tank (e-CATT), a cross-disciplinary group of academics whose interests are related to domestic cats (Felis catus) or small wild cat species.
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