CFP: History of Animals in Russia

[Jane Costlow]

Pasted in below is a Call for Papers for a May 2007 symposium on the 
History of Animals in Russia. Please feel free to circulate and share 
the CFP. Questions may be directed to me at jcostlow at bates.edu or to Amy 
Nelson, anelson at vt.edu.

Jane Costlow
Bates College

***



Call for Papers:
“The Other Animals: Situating the non-human in Russian Culture and History”
Roanoke, Virginia, May 17-19, 2007

The significance of the animal “other” to the human condition is 
oft-noted and increasingly of interest to scholars in the humanities and 
social sciences. Claude Levi-Strauss’ famous dictum, “animals are good 
to think with,” Paul Shepard’s assertion that “the others” (animals) 
made us human, and John Berger’s insistence that humans must “look” at 
animals because we rely on the animal other for self-definition, all 
reference the diverse ways that human cultures have represented and 
interacted with animals. The prevalence of animals in everyday life and 
culture, whether as sources of food, clothing, and other raw materials, 
as means of transportation and energy, as subjects of scientific 
research, as objects of entertainment and amusement, as inspiration for 
artistic and literary creativity, as deities or representatives of the 
divine, or simply as metaphors, attest to the importance of these 
relationships.

Increased thinking about animals by cultural theorists, historians, 
anthropologists, sociologists, literary scholars, and ethicists has 
resulted in a number of interdisciplinary studies addressing the role of 
animals in shaping human culture, society, and historical experience. 
Focusing primarily on Western Europe and North America, these 
collections are largely silent about the place of the animal in Europe’s 
“other” history and culture, namely that of Russia. On the periphery of 
the European experience, and straddling the land masses of Europe and 
Asia, Russian culture is marked by preoccupations with issues of 
identity, marginalization, and uniqueness that extend the basic concern 
with an “animal other” outlined above to more generalized patterns of 
self-definition.

“The Other Animals” seeks to bring together a group of scholars to 
present their work and engage in discussions about the significance of 
animals in Russian history and culture. The goal of the conference is to 
identify themes and questions specific to the Russian experience as well 
as the advantages and limitations of comparative perspectives. The 
organizers hope that the conference papers and discussions will serve as 
the foundation for an edited volume as well. The conference will be 
conducted in workshop format, with panels organized around particular 
case studies or themes addressed in pre-circulated papers.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to the following:
-animals in folklore
-animals in religion (particularly Russian Orthodoxy, Judaism, 
shamanism, and Islam)
-animals in literature, art, and film
-animal attractions, such as zoos, circuses, and trained bears
-animal models for medical research and the production of scientific 
knowledge
-animal welfare and protection
-biodiversity, and the environment
-animals in agriculture and the city
-hunting
-vegetarianism
-warfare
-pet keeping
-theoretical perspectives on the animal in Russian history and culture

Scholars interested in participating are invited to submit a paper 
title, abstract (no longer than one page), and a brief CV (including 
relevant publications) by September 15, 2006. Successful applicants will 
be notified in November, 2006. Participants’ lodging during the 
conference will be provided by the conference sponsors, Virginia Tech 
and Bates College. Participants also will receive a subsidy to defray 
travel expenses.

Please send submissions to Amy Nelson (anelson at vt.edu) and Jane Costlow 
(jcostlow at bates.edu) by September 15, 2006.

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