Pre-departure New York Trip

This week, I’m headed to New York City for an animal studies conference at NYU called “Animal Studies: Changing the Subject“. This conference comes out of NYU’s exciting new animal studies initiative and is also registered as a pre-conference event for the massive Minding Animals International 2012 conference next summer in Utrecht, Netherlands. The conference at NYU is composed of sessions throughout the day where the attendees will have the opportunity to hear well-known animal studies scholars speak on a range of topics. In the afternoon, there will be breakout sessions in which all in attendance will break into groups for more informal discussion. The lineup for the conference is as follows:

Una Chaudhuri– Welcome

Gary Steiner– “Animals as Subjects and the Rehabilitation of Humanism”

Ralph R. Acampora– “Changing the Subjects, Indeed: Diversification of Inquiry in Animal Studies and Animal Ethics”

Jeffrey Bussolini– “Cats Eating Chile Peppers: Refutation of the Rozin Hypothesis”

Lori Gruen– “Pan thanatology- Mourning Chimpanzees”

Marc Bekoff- “Minding Animals Redux: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why?”

Jacques Lezra– “Bestiality”

Susan Crane– “A Scholar and His Cat”

Una Chaudhuri– “Theatre of Species and the Interspecies Imagination”

What a line-up! I’m very excited about the conference and hearing all of these amazing scholars speak about their work. You can certainly expect a recap of this event.

I’m staying in New York a few extra days, too, to visit with my dear friend Emma and my dear friend Gwen (of the Hardly Alice glove line). In fact, Gwen and I already have some plans to make a few stops at a lace shop for her glove materials and a trimming shop. Particularly since I’ve been sewing a bit these days, I’m looking forward to the trip to the garment district.

Plus, there will be lots of sampling of NYC’s vegan food offerings (take a look at that directory of veg restaurants. yes!). Plus, a visit to my dad who is also in New York for the week. Plus, a trip to Occupy Wall Street for a little protesting. Should be an action-packed week of academic, activist, and artistic inspiration!

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