Hello!
With all due respect to prescient groundhogs, I am already predicting - beyond a shadow of a doubt - that 2015 will bring sunny news for the goals of the Animals and Society Institute and its many friends and colleagues.
A big "thank you" to everyone who donated during our matching gift challenge, enabling us to begin the year with a solid start. Here's what's new:
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| Scholars Convene at Minding Animals |
* Ken Shapiro, president of the ASI board, organized a Jan. 15 forum titled "State and Future of the Field" at the thirdMinding Animals conference, held in Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University. The plenary session was attended by about 150 people. Participants in the forum's panel were chosen to represent different perspectives in our amazingly quickly developing field: Lori Gruen (Feminist Studies), Colin Salter (Critical Animal Studies, Australia), Joe Lancia (Anthrozoology), Donald Broom (Animal Welfare Science, United Kingdom), Sandra Swart (Cultural Studies, South Africa) and Ken (Human-Animal Studies).
Through brief statements by each panelist and Q&A both within the panel and with the audience, the participants discussed issues relating to the scope and definition of the field, its history and possible future trajectories, internal and external obstacles to its growth, limitations and advantages of its inherent interdisciplinarity, its place in the university (departmental affiliation or free-standing) and its relation to the animal protection movement and advocacy.
* ASI co-founder Kim Stallwood reports: "The Third Minding Animals International conference in India was very successful in bringing together more than 250 delegates from 34 countries. As the conference's volunteer executive director, I made the closing remarks at the Pre-Conference Interfaith Program and Multi-Faith Prayer Service at Baha'i House of Worship, Lotus Temple, which includes representatives from the Hindu, Christian, Islam, Jain and Baha'i faiths who spoke about how to respect animals. It was also my privilege to chair the plenary session with Will Kymlicka, co-author of Zoopolis, and explore the idea of citizenship for animals. I also presented my paper about Topsy, the 'elephant we must never forget.' Among the many highlights was hearing a talk by the legendary Maneka Gandhi, India's Minister of Women and Child Development, who criticized the Indian government for not doing enough for animals."
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| Coalition Meets to Outline Violence Prevention |
Representing the ASI, Lisa Lunghofer co-chaired the second annual meeting of theNational Coalition on Violence Against Animals, which was held Jan. 23 in Washington, D.C. The meeting was attended by representatives of more than 40 national, international and state-level organizations working in diverse fields and disciplines, including law enforcement, animal protection, mental health, domestic violence, veterinary medicine and the judicial system.
NCOVAA seeks to identify ways in which the participating organizations can work together to reduce violence against animals. A key outcome of the meeting was the formation of work groups that will be tackling important issues over the next year. One group will be developing strategies to support implementation of the recent addition of "cruelty to animals" to the National Incident Based Reporting System of the FBI's Uniform Code Reporting Program. Another group will develop a curriculum to train law enforcement regarding encounters with dogs and the importance of taking animal cruelty seriously. The group also plans to develop a repository of information that can serve as a resource for law enforcement.
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| DeMello Joins Animal Studies Lecture Series |
Margo DeMello, our Human-Animal Studies program director, will be at Michigan State University on Feb. 25 to discuss her upcoming book, Mourning Animals. The book, an edited collection that focuses on the ways human beings do and don't mourn animals, will be part of The Animal Turn Book Series by Michigan State University Press. The talk is one of several Animal Studies events scheduled this spring; click here to see the current list.
On Feb. 26, students and faculty involved with the Student Animals and Society Institute (SASI) chapter at the University of Michigan will meet to discuss the growth of the Human-Animal Studies program there, with the ultimate goal of expanding the program and possibly creating a minor or major in HAS. Margo will join the group and help facilitate the discussion, and will give a talk on HAS at other colleges.
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| APA Accepts Childhood Assessment Proposal |
My counseling colleagues and I have just learned that a second proposal we submitted for the American Psychological Association convention in Toronto in August has been accepted. Our skill-building session, "Your Hidden Partner In Assessment and Treatment: Children's Experiences With Animals," was selected by Division 37 (Child and Family Policy and Practice) for inclusion in an increasingly competitive convention program.
We look forward to raising awareness among clinicians about the utility of asking questions about children's relationships with animals - both positive and negative. Learn more about the convention here.
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| Celebrating the Animals in Our Lives |
 I had the honor of being the keynote speaker at the Pet Celebration hosted by the Paws, Whiskers & Wags pet crematory in Atlanta on Jan. 25. Viewing a slideshow of photos of animals who have passed on in the past year, with Diamond Rio's "One More Day" as the soundtrack, was a poignant reminder of the deep relationships so many of us share with animals. My talk noted that although those of us who share our lives with animals (such as my dear Fred, at right) inherently understand the human-animal bond, the scientific fields of neuroscience, nursing, human development and criminal justice (to name only a few) are increasingly documenting its power. |
Congratulations to Susan Strauss, the winner of our book giveaway drawing in response to the January newsletter "time machine" question about the ASI's future goals. We'd still like to hear what types of accomplishments you'd like to see us achieve in the next five years, so please drop me a note and share your thoughts!
We are grateful for your ongoing support, and hope you will visit our website and join us on Facebook and Twitter for more news, information and resources.
With gratitude,
Maya Gupta, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Click here to make a gift in honor of a special person or animal in your life!
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Michigan residents, you can now help the ASI every time you shop at Kroger! Just link your Kroger Plus card to us through theKroger Community Rewards program, or ask a store associate how to sign up.
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