This conference was organised by my colleagues Poulomi Choudhury and Deborah Schrijvers, who run the Animal Studies Research Network at University College Dublin.
The conference critically examined the paradoxical situation of nonhuman animal life in the age of mass extinction and mass production. The conference theme addressed one of the most urgent challenges facing humanity and other animals in the context of the climate crisis and the global capitalist system: the destruction of habitats and exploitation of animals that drives both extinction and consumption. The papers presented explored how literature and other cultural productions criticise and rethink the ethical, ecological and social implications of this scenario, fostering a dialogue between Animal Studies and Environmental Humanities, two interdisciplinary fields that share concerns but also have tensions and are rarely in direct conversation with each other.
Although I don’t work in animal studies, I am interested in the discipline and I tagged along for the ride, helping Poulomi and Deborah with designing the poster and conference logistics.
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