Call for abstracts: Unstructured entanglements of human leisure and non-human animal life

People at leisure regularly encounter animals. In areas such as wildlife tourism attractions, cat shows, horse trials, pet therapy sessions, dog walking, and more, humans interact with animals in highly structured ways. This occurs via mediation techniques, such as enclosures, signage, restraints, expert guidance, human skills, and technological equipment. Recent animal-leisure research, driven by the greater recognition and valuing of animal sentience in society, has explored these structured entanglements and drawn focus to the human and animal experiences, the social construction of animals, animal welfare, and the rights of animals, amongst other themes.       

Yet human leisure also interweaves with animal life without any pre-design or mediation. People at leisure can tangle with animal life as they walk in city spaces, casually garden at home, relax in parks, trek in the countryside, or eat at the seaside. Human leisure entangles with animal life in multifarious non-structured ways in these and other settings. These entanglements create outcomes that may be welcomed or not, beneficial or not, dangerous or not, divisive or not, for all participants, both human and non-human.

This session will explore these unstructured entanglements. It aims to continue knowledge creation on the role, experience, treatment, welfare, and rights of animals in human leisure. By addressing this vast array of unstructured entanglements, humans will continue to learn about their role in animal lives and vice versa, which will assist people and animals to live well together.

Potential topics are wide-ranging and include, but are not limited to:

·         Selfies and the unstructured animal entanglement