The phrase 'the personal is political', popularized in the 1960s during second-wave feminism, emphasizes the crucial interrelationship between the private sphere (the family, personal life) and the public sphere (the nation state, social and political structures). It is currently evident that the argument 'the personal is political' bears significance on more than interhuman relations alone. Various issues and concerns that seem personal and private, such as the choice to eat, wear, hunt, slaughter, raise and adopt animals, are both influenced and determined on the basis of social, cultural and political norms.
 

In the current epoch of the Anthropocene, the interrelatedness of the private and the political in interspecies relations is especially prominent. As humans drastically affect climatic and ecological processes - leading to global warming and climate disruption, pollution, destruction of ecosystems, and more - it is increasingly relevant and even critical to rethink the impact of human action on the environment they live in and its other inhabitants.

Research dealing with the repercussions of the Anthropocene tends to focus more on the climate crisis than on the implications of these changes on the lives of animals and interspecies relations. This is despite the fact that the need to adapt to environmental changes has become a crucial factor in the lives of many animals, which in turn shapes the human-animal relationship. It is therefore evident that in order to fully comprehend the effects of the Anthropocene, we must gain insight to the experiences of animals living through these ecological processes: What is the difference between the personal and political in human-animal-relations and especially in the Anthropocene? What are the implications of human actions on the lives of other animals? How do animals respond to the drastic changes taking place on earth? And can we still affect the trajectory of our future?

The Community for Human-Animal Studies Israel is looking to further explore this theme, and is opening up its annual conference for international participation. The conference is intended to bring together scholars from various academic disciplines who are passionate about exploring human animal relations and strive for generating developments and innovations in the field.

We welcome scholars and practitioners from various disciplines (including, but not limited to: law, technology, zoology, anthropology, history, philosophy, literature, arts, public policy, and sociology).