Political Theory, Applied Ethics, and Animals Conference

The Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Sheffield and ShARC (Sheffield Animal Studies Research Centre) are organising a two-day in-person conference on political theory, applied ethics, and animals on the 16th and 17th of January 2025.

In recent years, a significant discourse has emerged among philosophers and political theorists regarding the inclusion of animals within the political sphere. This development, often referred to as the 'political turn' in the interdisciplinary field of animal studies, has sparked intense inquiries, providing not only novel conceptual frameworks and analytical tools but also ongoing controversies. It has notably steered ethical deliberations surrounding animals in new and productive directions, moving for example beyond the confines of a narrowly understood abolition and prompting a more nuanced examination of the diverse forms of human-animal relationships (Donaldson and Kymlicka 2013, Cochrane 2020, Milburn 2022, Palmer 2010). 

This conference is dedicated to the ongoing inquiries and the expansion of normative theoretical and practice-oriented explorations into including animals in political thought and life, such as through different theories such as feminist care theory, critical disability studies, or literary analysis, and the different implications this would have for different groups of animals, such as domesticated, wild, farmed, or animals used for experimentation. It places a strong emphasis on exploring and discussing political theory and animals through the lens of applied ethics. We cordially invite contributions from scholars across a wide range of disciplines to present research papers (of 30 minutes) and join our conversation at Sheffield University.

Possible topics include (but are not limited to) the following: 

• Should animals be included within the demos?

• Can the idea of ‘climate justice’ meaningfully be extended to non-human animals?

• Should animals have political rights? 

• What do we owe wild animals?

• How do we rethink political, social, educational, economic, religious, legal, media, and other institutions to be more inclusive of animal interests? 

• What role do utopian and dystopian visions of human-animal relations play in political theory and beyond? 

• What are different advocacy strategies and how effective are they in achieving change?

Please submit a pdf of your abstract prepared for anonymous review to David Holroyd ([email protected]) by Friday the 18th of October 2024. Abstracts should be max 500 words long and suitable for a 30-minute presentation.

Selected speakers will be notified shortly thereafter. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the convenors: David Paaske ([email protected]), Diego Exposito ([email protected]) and David Holroyd ([email protected]). 

Confirmed keynote is Clare Palmer (Texas A&M University).

Important dates: 

• Submission deadline: 18th of October, 2024

• Conference: 16th and 17th of January, 2025