The Animal Geography Working Group’s Multispecies Methods Workshop
5-6th June 2024, RGS-IBG London
One of the most interesting potential contributions of animal geographies is its methodological innovation and development. Working with animals throws up new challenges, both practical and ethical. The recent “more-than-human turn” has invited new ways of thinking about research practice, and this workshop invites geographers to explore how our work can pave the way for innovation in multispecies methodology, and engage with publics beyond academia.
Animal geography has promoted new forms of ethnography, digital and creative methods, technological innovation, and raised new ethical questions, yet the promise of new and innovative methods for animals’ geographies remains elusive despite being regularly discussed. This workshop will provide a unique space for geographers to share their practices, discuss challenges, experiment together, and receive feedback on their work. It will focus on the practicalities, ethics, and outcomes of multispecies methods.
We are inviting contributions to share research practice and methodologies alongside other animal geographers, creating space for new connections and ideas to form. Taking place in London on 5-6th June 2024, the workshop is organised across two days to explore how academic research can explore animal(s’) worlds in unexpected and careful ways.
Day one of the workshop will begin with a half-day of “field trips” led by members of the AGWG and collaborators and will focus on experimenting with methods in different spaces around London. There will be multiple options (to be released nearer the time) and the field trips feed into the plenary on day two.
Day two will be structured around panel discussions where invited participants will introduce and, where possible, demonstrate their methods in 20-minute talks, followed by discussion. The workshop will end with discussion and planning for future collaborations and publications.
We invite proposals for contributions to the workshop from anyone working broadly within animal geographies and engaging with methodologies, including (but not limited to):
multispecies/more-than-human ethnographies
digital or technologically mediated methodologies
creative methods (for example, arts-based)
participatory methods and citizen science
ethological methods
practices of ethics and representation
any other methodological work not listed here
Please submit abstracts of no more than 200 words and a bio of 100 words to animalgeographiesrgs@gmail.com by 28th March 2024. We have bursaries to support UK-based travel and attendance at the workshop for postgraduate students, early career researchers and low-/unwaged scholars. Please indicate in your application if you would like to be considered for a bursary.
