Animals have long occupied an ambivalent place in human societies, serving as sources of food, labor, and material resources while also becoming central objects of scientific experimentation and cultural inspiration. At the same time, they have increasingly become subjects of ethical consideration, raising questions about agency, suffering, and dignity. As inhabitants of a shared world, animals have been shaped by humans and have, in turn, played a crucial role in defining the human itself. By positing a sharp distinction between mind and matter, Cartesian dualism grounded the identification of the human in opposition to the non-human—a process that, as Giorgio Agamben argues with his concept of the anthropological machine, continues to this day. Consequently, to speak about animals in the broadest sense is also to speak about humans.
Scientific research on animals, as well as the origins of zoology, can in part be traced back to Aristotle. The long nineteenth century, from the late eighteenth century to the outbreak of the First World War, witnessed profound transformations in the understanding of animals. Developments in physiology, medicine, and the natural sciences made animals indispensable to experimental research and contributed to advances in zoology. At the same time, literary, philosophical, and public debates increasingly addressed the moral implications of their treatment. Animals thus emerged as crucial figures in discussions of life, consciousness, morality, and the place of human beings within the natural world.
Within the culturally diverse contexts of Eastern and Eastern-Central Europe, including the territories of the Romanov (Russian) Empire, the Habsburg Monarchy, and the Ottoman Empire, these developments intersected with broader intellectual transformations. Religious traditions encountered emerging scientific and philosophical perspectives that redefined the relationship between humans and animals. Influenced by evolutionary thought and modern science, humans were increasingly understood not as separate from nature, but as its most highly developed animals.
Aims of the Lecture Series
This lecture series explores discourses and knowledge about animals and the human–animal relationship throughout the long nineteenth century in Eastern- and Eastern-Central Europe. Key questions include: What ideas and concepts regarding animals and the human–animal relationship were prevalent in the natural and social sciences, the humanities, and religion? How were scientific findings adapted and reinterpreted in literature and culture? What imaginative or counter-concepts of animals emerged in literary and cultural contexts? Finally, the series examines how practices of dealing with animals shaped ethical reflections on their treatment.
We invite contributions that explore how animals and the human-animal relationship were represented, conceptualized, and contested within the intellectual, literary, and scientific cultures of the period. By bringing together perspectives from literary studies, philosophy, the history of science, and cultural history, the seminar aims to illuminate the role of animals in shaping modern debates about nature, knowledge, and humanity in Eastern- and Eastern-Central Europe.
Possible topics include, but are not limited to:
· Animals in scientific experimentation, particularly in physiology, medicine, and psychology
· Historical case studies of experimental practices involving animals, including ethical and epistemological implications
· Literary representations of animals and their role in moral, philosophical, or social debates
· Animals in public culture: zoos, exhibitions, popular science, and visual representation
· Early vegetarian movements and other refusals to consume animal products, including their theoretical foundations and motivations
· Discourses on animal suffering, compassion, and early animal protection movements
· Religious perspectives on animals in interaction with scientific and modernist discourses
· Changing conceptions of the human–animal relationship in the context of evolutionary thought and modern science
The online talk series forms part of a broader initiative to establish a research network and prepare a series of publications.
Submission Guidelines
· Abstract: 250–300 words
· Short Bio: 100 words
· Deadline for Submission: 15.06.2026
· Notification of Acceptance: July 2026
· Submission Email: humanimalbond@gmail.com
Seminar Details
· Format: Online
· Duration: 1h30
· Presentation Length: 30 minutes, followed by discussion
· Monthly October 2026 – February 2027 every third Friday
Organizers
Dr. Nadine Menzel (Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg, nadine.menzel@uni-bamberg.de)
Dr. Maxim Demin (Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Maksim.Demin@ruhr-uni-bochum.de)
Contact Information
Dr. Nadine Menzel (Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg, Germany)
Contact Email
nadine.menzel@uni-bamberg.de
URL
https://www.uni-bamberg.de/slavart/personen/dr-nadine-menzel/
