The Exceptional Animal

Much has been said concerning the exceptional nature of the human being, and these celebrations have, in turn, attracted considerable criticism. But what, exactly, is "human exceptionalism"--a term of very recent coinage--and how does it articulate with broader forms of anthropocentric thought?  How has this exceptionalism manifested, and been contested, within literary and cinematic texts, particularly those concerned with nonhuman animals and their treatment?  And what are the ethical, political and personal stakes involved in any engagement with questions of human exceptionalism.  This one day symposium will bring together new work on these matters by Alastair Hunt (Portland State University), Robert McKay (University of Sheffield), Anat Pick (Queen Mary, University of London) and Tom Tyler (Oxford Brookes University).

Tom Tyler, The Exception and the Norm: Dimensions of Anthropocentrism (http://history.brookes.ac.uk/staff/prof.asp?ID=729)

Robert McKay, Read Meat: Species Exceptionalism in Michel Faber's Under the Skin (http://www.shef.ac.uk/english/people/mckay)

Anat Pick, Criminal Animals: Animality, Vulnerability, and the
Biopolitics of Film. (http://filmstudies.sllf.qmul.ac.uk/people/anat-pick)

Alastair Hunt, The Politics of Personification (http://www.english.pdx.edu/faculty/hunt_a.php)

Time:  12.30pm to 5.00pm

Contact: Tom Tyler ([email protected])
More information, including abstracts: