We are delighted to announce the Call for Papers for our upcoming workshop to be held in conjunction with the Institute of Sinology and East Asian Studies, University of Münster on 8 – 10 May 2025!
Same and/or Other? Animals in East Asian History
8 – 10 May 2025, Institute of Sinology and East Asian Studies, University of Münster
Since the 1980s, research on animals has slowly gained traction. As Sandra Swart already noted in 2007, “animals are roving the groves of Academe.” A number of studies on the ways humans understand animals and how animals actively shape human-animal relations have continued to be published in recent years. However, East Asia is still vastly underrepresented in such research.
This workshop contributes to closing this gap by discussing human-animal relations in the context of East Asian history. It poses the overarching question of how humans and animals have been understood as Same and/or Other in a variety of contexts. Were these two binary categories, or were these boundaries more porous than we imagine? This workshop is decidedly interdisciplinary in its approach; we invite contributions which approach this topic conceptually or with concrete case studies drawn from literary, philosophical, archeological, or other sources. This workshop covers the geographic span of East Asia (Japan, China, Korea) with any time period welcome.
Possible topics include, but are by no means limited to, the following questions:
- What does it mean to be ‘animal’ or ‘human’ from a philosophical standpoint? How are these categories defined, and are hierarchies inherent in these systematisations?
- How are tangible human interactions with animals structured across species borders? How do humans appropriate animals?
- How do animals as actors themselves influence this perception? How do questions of agency and reciprocity come into play?
- How do emotions like sympathy, empathy, and fear shape human-animal relations? Are these emotions shared or imagined through and with animals?
- How can human-animal hybrids and anthropomorphising in literature and art be situated in this context?
This workshop is organised by the Institute of Sinology and East Asian Studies at University of Münster in cooperation with the Chinese Animal Studies Network and will take place from the 8th to 10th of May 2025. While this is intended as an in-person event, in select cases Zoom-participation will be considered. For successful applicants, accommodation for two nights will be organised and covered. Travel costs are to be covered by the applicants themselves.
We look forward to receiving abstracts emailed to casn2025@uni-muenster.de by December 15th 2024. Abstracts should not exceed 250–300 words. Please also include the author’s name, affiliation, email contact, and a short biography. The conference language is English. Presentations should be 20 minutes in length. Successful applicants will be notified by the end of January 2025.
