Animals & Society Institute

12/22/2025

As we prepare for the closure of ASI, our priority has been to ensure that the programs we’ve developed & supported continue well beyond ASI, and we're pleased to share that each of our programs has been thoughtfully and carefully rehomed with trusted partners who share our values.

𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆 & 𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹𝘀: 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻-𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 is now managed by the Sheffield Animal Studies Research Centre at the the University of Sheffield.

The 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗳𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 is now managed by Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University.

𝗦𝗹𝗼𝘁𝗵: 𝗔 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻-𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 has been taken over by Anthrozoology at Canisius University.

The 𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 journal will continue to be published by of California Press and managed by University of Dayton.

The 𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹𝘀 & 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 will continue to be co-sponsored by the Animals and Society Section of the American Sociological Association,now joined by the Culture & Animals Foundation. CAF is also now the owner of the discontinued 𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹𝘀’ 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮 magazine & will digitalize all past issues.

The 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻-𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗩𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 has been transferred to Carroll College.

The Center for Advanced Study at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign will continue our 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻-𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁. CAS will also continue to host the 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻-𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲.

Our 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻-𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 will continue.

ASI’s intervention program for animal maltreatment offenders, 𝗕𝗔𝗥𝗞 has been transferred to University of Tennessee's Center for Veterinary Social Work. Based on the 𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗱𝘂𝗹𝘁 intervention, a self-directed version will be launched in 2026.

The Brill Publishing 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻-𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 will continue to be edited by Kenneth Shapiro, Ivy Collier, Gala Argent, and Thomas Aiello.

We encourage you to continue ASI’s annual 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻-𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 in the 2nd full week of November.

For direct links, visit: https://www.animalsandsociety.org/

As we bring our 40-year journey to a close, we are filled with gratitude for the remarkable community that made ASI possible. To each supporter, partner, and friend who has walked this journey with us: thank you for the support you have poured into this field, and for your dedication to improving the lives of nonhuman animals throughout the world. Though this is our final update, it is not an ending to the impact we’ve made together.

We are profoundly grateful to have shared ASI’s story with you.

With appreciation,
Kenneth Shapiro & the ASI Team

12/16/2025

The Culture & Animals Foundation provides annual grants to scholars, activists, and artists using their intellect, creativity, and compassion to build a deeper understanding of human–animal relationships and a greater respect for animal rights.

In 2026, CAF is making available $US 40,000 in grants. Such individuals are invited to apply (max amount $US 5000) for a project under the areas of creativity, performance, and research.

The application window is January 1–31, 2026. Learn more here: https://cultureandanimals.org/get-ready-for-the-2026-annual-grant-submission-period/

12/11/2025

Internationally known for her work in animal ethics, Professor Emeritus Dr. Lisa Kemmerer has been an activist engaged with animal studies for nearly half a century. She describes those decades as an ongoing journey from a narrow vision to an increasingly wider understanding of oppressions, motivating her to retire in 2020 and become a full-time activist as founder and director of the information-sharing nonprofit, Tapestry.

We sat down with Lisa, a long-time ASI friend, to learn more.

“There can be no anymal liberation without human liberation and there can be no human liberation without anymal liberation—there is only total liberation.” Lisa Kemmerer, Oppressive Liberation: Sexism in Animal Activism Internationally known for her work in animal ethics, Professor Emeritus Dr...

11/24/2025

Join the Culture & Animals Foundation and the Animals and Society Section of the American Sociological Association tomorrow, November 25, 2025 at 10am PT/1pm ET for our upcoming event by Zipporah Weisberg titled, Sanctuaries and the Politics of Refusal.

RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/dNyq-CSw

𝗧𝗢𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗪: 𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹𝘀 & 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗹

Join us online tomorrow, November 25, 2025 at 10am PT/1pm ET for our upcoming event by Zipporah Weisberg (of uOttawa) titled, Sanctuaries and the Politics of Refusal.

Until recently, animal sanctuaries have been considered relatively marginal players in the struggle for animal liberation and multispecies justice. However, the evaluation of sanctuaries’ real and potential role in the animal liberation movement has begun to shift in recent years, most notably in response to the political turn in animal ethics. This talk contributes to that discussion by arguing that animal sanctuaries are powerful forms of a political refusal as characterized by Frankfurt School member and public intellectual, Herbert Marcuse.

RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/dNyq-CSw

The Animals & Society Colloquium Series is co-sponsored by the Culture & Animals Foundation and the Animals and Society Section of the American Sociological Association.

11/24/2025

The latest issue of Society & Animals: Journal of Human-Animal Studies is out!

Volume 33: Issue 7-8 contains 7 new research articles and 1 book review, and includes the following Open Access articles:

▪️ “Caring For Their Pet More Than Themselves”: Attitudes toward Homeless People with a Companion Animal
▪️ The Double Standards of the Association for the Treatment and Prevention of Sexual Abuse (ATSA)

Enjoy the full issue here: https://lnkd.in/dyq8Wuk5

11/03/2025

The latest issue of Society & Animals: Journal of Human-Animal Studies is out!

Volume 33: Issue 5-6 contains 9 new research articles and 2 book reviews, and includes the following Open Access articles:

▪️ Animals’ Mobilities in Popular Fiction: Time, Duration, and Desire in Sheila Burnford’s The Incredible Journey

▪️ Wellbeing Perceptions of Humans Who “Borrow” and “Loan” Dogs in the Context of a Dog-Walk

Enjoy the full issue here: https://brill.com/view/journals/soan/33/5-6/soan.33.issue-5-6.xml

10/27/2025

𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻-𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁!

As you know, the Animals & Society Institute will be closing doors at the end of this year, and we have been actively rehoming our projects and programs to other organizations and institutions to ensure their continuation.

The HAS Report established itself as an important resource for the community of HAS scholars and students, and we are pleased to announce that the Center for Advanced Study (CAS) at the of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, through its Human-Animal Studies@Illinois Initiative, will produce the Report going forward.

You can now opt-in and subscribe to the HAS Report here: https://groups.webservices.illinois.edu/subscribe/203483

Under the auspices of CAS, you may look forward to the addition of new features to the Report and to its increasing reach as the field continues its impressive growth.

Thank you for your interest and support of this project.

10/06/2025

The latest issue of the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science is out!

Volume 28, Issue 4 contains 14 new research articles, including the following 5 Open Access articles:

🔘Public perceptions of free-roaming dogs and cats in India and the United States
🔘Both Ends of the Leash: Animals in Australian Residential Aged Care Facilities, Views of Experienced Animal Trainers/handlers Working in Residential Aged Care Facilities
🔘Horse Owners’ Knowledge of Fundamental Care and their Perceptions on the Implementation of a Mandatory Certificate of Knowledge
🔘Evaluating Qualitative Behavioral Assessment and Ethogram Techniques for Captive Black Rhinoceros
🔘Preferential Space Use Exhibited by Individual Orangutans in an Innovative Enclosure at Auckland Zoo

Find the full issue here: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/haaw20/28/4

09/15/2025

"Pets have evolved into indispensable family members and loyal companions. However, the human connection to pets transcends mere cohabitation. In a world dominated by social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, where 4.95 billion users were active globally in October 2023, a trend has emerged: pet-related content... yet instances of animal suffering within them often go unnoticed."

Read the full article: https://bit.ly/46mToD8

08/19/2025

The latest issue of Society & Animals is out!

Volume 33: Issue 4 is a Special Issue with 10 new research articles based on the theme 'Interspecies Relationality' and includes the limited Open Access introduction titled, 'Interspecies Modes of Relating' by André Krebber, Kerstin Weich, and Margo DeMello.

Find the full issue here: https://bit.ly/4lBPXxZ