📆 interested in #AnimalPolitics & #mutualisms? Check out this exciting conference in Sheffield 8-9 Sept - with a really fascinating set of papers ⬇️ multispeciesmutualisms.org/event-social...
Matt Perry
@mattwperry.bsky.social
Political Theorist & Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at University of Sheffield https://matthewwrayperry.wixsite.com/mattperry
Very happy to announce that our article "Animals and Human Rights" is now out in Philosophy Compass. It was wonderful working on this with my friend and colleague Dr. Valérie G. Topf! Check it out here: compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Every academic who writes in short snatches of time, in cafes, on trains, and at the breakfast table, imagines that every other academic retreats every evening to an elegant desk in a book-lined study and spends hours deep in concentration filling page after page with original scholarly reflection.
This is gonna be so good, folks!
Grumpy Philosopher@stevecooke.org · last mo.That's it, contract signed, publishing agreement finalised for an OUP Handbook of Animal Politics. Edited by @drsvg.bsky.social @mattwperry.bsky.social @joshmilburn.bsky.social Angie Pepper, Alasdair Cochrane, & me. So excited, we have some amazing contributors lined-up. 46 chapters planned.
🚨 New publication! 🐱🐶 Should pet-keeping require a license? Millions of pets are kept in human homes worldwide but there too few regulations on who can obtain a pet, under what conditions, and what standards of care are needed. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Licensing Pet-keeping
Pet-keeping is one of the most widespread human-animal relationships in the world. Despite its prevalence, this practice frequently results in animal welfare violations, including neglect, abuse, a...
tandfonline.com
Last week to send in your abstracts for this year's Animal Politics conference on Social Ties at University of Sheffield, 8-9th September! More details here philevents.org/event/show/1... Co-organisers @stevecooke.org @joshmilburn.bsky.social @drsvg.bsky.social and Alasdair Cochrane & Angie Pepper
Social Ties in Animal Politics: Mutuality Beyond Humanity
Social and political relationships constitute the foundation of our shared communities. Yet, scholars working in the field of animal politics have not had these social ties as their primary focus. The...
philevents.org
Tragic that Happy has had to die in a zoo rather than in a sanctuary, where she should have been moved to.
The New York Times@nytimes.com · 2mo agoHappy, a 55-year-old Asian elephant who had lived at the Bronx Zoo since 1977, has been euthanized, zoo officials said. Happy’s uncommon intelligence thrust her into an unusual legal dispute over whether she was entitled to a fundamental human right to bodily liberty. nyti.ms/3Q7ArA8
If you teach using the image on the left, please please please teach the 175 words on the right.* Source: 1000wordphilosophy.com/2025/11/23/e... *Bonus points for reading/teaching the 39 words in my second post below.
![1. Equity and Equality
In discussions about equality, some say that we should reject equality and focus on equity. For example, the picture above depicts equality as giving three people an equal number of boxes, so that a short person can’t see over a fence. It depicts equity as giving the short person two boxes and the tall person zero boxes, leaving both equally able to see over the fence.[2]
According to the picture, equality is silly. Equity is clearly better! Obviously the tall person does not need any boxes to stand on, and the short person needs two boxes.
Philosophers have a different understanding of equality and equity. Philosophers say that both refer to the same kind of idea: making people equal along some kind of dimension.
For example, the picture with the boxes says that everyone should be equally able to see over the fence, and this kind of equality is better than giving each person an equal number of boxes. Both sides of the picture depict a type of equality. The question is: equality of what?](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:c7vqw26ejxgheeuju7luuydk/bafkreigt3peoqyuphlwuiq56nprix74yexdcnq7mpqkodtzbxhkc5xkv2q)
I‘m heartily sick of being told ascribing preferences, interests, & desires to nonhuman animals is bad because it‘s anthropomorphism, & then seeing eleven billion articles talking about LLMs as if they have minds and agency.
It's not often that you can say a publication is a "first of its kind", but this may very well be the first handbook of its kind. We'll be exploring animal politics from all its angles, and provide a genuinely broad overview of this exciting and urgent field. Well keen to get going.
Matt Perry@mattwperry.bsky.social · 3mo agoBrilliant news to share! Just heard from OUP that our proposal has been accepted to co-edit an "Oxford Handbook of Animal Politics" featuring over 40 commissioned chapters surveying the field. Co-editors @drsvg.bsky.social, @stevecooke.org, @joshmilburn.bsky.social, Alasdair Cochrane & Angie Pepper
Brilliant news to share! Just heard from OUP that our proposal has been accepted to co-edit an "Oxford Handbook of Animal Politics" featuring over 40 commissioned chapters surveying the field. Co-editors @drsvg.bsky.social, @stevecooke.org, @joshmilburn.bsky.social, Alasdair Cochrane & Angie Pepper
‼️Today's the CFP deadline for the MANCEPT panel on 'Speciesism, Power and Prejudice' (2nd-4th September 2026). More information: philevents.org/event/show/1... @mattwperry.bsky.social
MANCEPT Workshop - Speciesism, Power and Human Prejudice
Speciesism has become a central concept in moral, social and political scholarship and movements concerning animals. Broadly understood, speciesism refers to discrimination based on species-membership...
philevents.org
I fear Labour people risk falling into an ecological fallacy visible from space when reacting to these results. Here is what is very clear in results so far: Labour are losing *seats* to Reform, but... Labour are losing *votes* to the Greens Greens split the vote, Ref comes thru middle
Deadline for this is on Monday!
Matt Perry@mattwperry.bsky.social · 5mo agoCall for abstracts! MANCEPT panel on 'Speciesism, Power and Prejudice' co-organised by me, @drhannahbattersby.bsky.social, and Valérie Topf. Dates: 2nd-4th September 2026. Will feature great talks by @francoisjaquet.bsky.social and @ccfaria.bsky.social. Details here: philevents.org/event/show/1...
Reminder: abstracts for the conference 'Social Ties in Animal Politics: Mutuality Beyond Humanity', hosted at the University of Sheffield, are due by 12th June. Last year's conference was really good. philevents.org/event/show/1...
Social Ties in Animal Politics: Mutuality Beyond Humanity
Social and political relationships constitute the foundation of our shared communities. Yet, scholars working in the field of animal politics have not had these social ties as their primary focus. The...
philevents.org
Have you paused to listen lately? Chiffchaffs calling, Blackbirds in full song, and the first Swallows on the wing. Which spring sound always makes you smile? 🎵
📰 I have a new paper out with Peter Sands @anthropocenebio.bsky.social in Society & Animals - setting out the idea of a #PoliticalEcology of reanimating to understand current trends in #rewilding through the lens of individual animal lives brill.com/view/journal...
brill.com
📆 are you interested in working with a team on understanding animal-human interactions and health? There is just under one week left to apply for these post doc roles. 🐦⬛🐄🐴🐕🦺
Rosaleen Duffy@rosaleenduffy.bsky.social · 5mo ago1/ Calling all ECRs - we have 4x3 year post docs on Multispecies Mutualisms working with us at Sheffield. Don't want to read through all the stuff to work out if its right for you? Here is a short video explainer 🎥 digitalmedia.sheffield.ac.uk/media/Multis...
A couple thoughts on some of my latest work concerning our attitudes to animal minds. The post tries to convey why this is an issue that goes beyond a concern with sentience-based interests. Opinions welcome. And more definitely coming on this topic in future!
Why Our Attitudes to Animal Minds Matter for Justice
In human relationships, we often operate with the ‘benefit of the doubt’. When a friend cancels a plan or a family member behaves differently to normal, we might assume there is something going on …
justice-everywhere.org
Painfully true about academic writing too. More true even.
Tom Cox@dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · 5mo agoNote from my notebook (2017).
More MANCEPT promotion! It’s such a wonderful conference in an awesome city. I don’t go any more because my university is broke & so I don’t have a research budget, but if you can get there it’s brilliant.
Matt Perry@mattwperry.bsky.social · 5mo agoCall for abstracts! MANCEPT panel on 'Speciesism, Power and Prejudice' co-organised by me, @drhannahbattersby.bsky.social, and Valérie Topf. Dates: 2nd-4th September 2026. Will feature great talks by @francoisjaquet.bsky.social and @ccfaria.bsky.social. Details here: philevents.org/event/show/1...
🟨 Print Edition — ‘We Are Still a Society Where the Postcode of the Bed You Are Born In, Sadly, Still Pretty Much Determines Where You End Up in Life’ Last month, Byline Times was invited to the launch of ‘Class Ceiling’ – a new report reviewing working-class participation in the arts across…
‘We Are Still a Society Where the Postcode of the Bed You Are Born In, Sadly, Still Pretty Much Determines Where You End Up in Life’ – Byline Times Digital / Print Edition
Last month, Byline Times was invited to the launch of ‘Class Ceiling’ – a new report reviewing working-class participation in the arts across Greater Manchester. A day after he was blocked from standing as the Labour candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham gave the opening address
subscribe.bylinetimes.com
Call for abstracts! MANCEPT panel on 'Speciesism, Power and Prejudice' co-organised by me, @drhannahbattersby.bsky.social, and Valérie Topf. Dates: 2nd-4th September 2026. Will feature great talks by @francoisjaquet.bsky.social and @ccfaria.bsky.social. Details here: philevents.org/event/show/1...
MANCEPT Workshop - Speciesism, Power and Human Prejudice
Speciesism has become a central concept in moral, social and political scholarship and movements concerning animals. Broadly understood, speciesism refers to discrimination based on species-membership...
philevents.org
This year's Warrender Lecture will be given by Professor Duncan Ivison ( @duncanivison.bsky.social ), President and Vice Chancellor of the University of Manchester (and political philosopher!). Deatails of the lecture can be found at the below link. sheffield.ac.uk/spir/school/...
Warrender Lecture, Professor Duncan Ivison (University of Manchester)
We are very pleased to announce that this year's Warrender Lecture will be given by Professor Duncan Ivison, and will be held on Thursday, March 12th, 4.30pm-6pm, in the David Rice Lecture Theatre, Fi...
sheffield.ac.uk
1/ Calling all ECRS - we have 4x 3 year post docs on Multispecies Mutualisms working with us at Sheffield. Don't want to read through all the stuff to work out if its right for you? Here is a short video explainer 🎥 digitalmedia.sheffield.ac.uk/media/Multis...
Multispecies Mutualisms - Join Our Research Team!
We’re hiring 4 Postdoctoral Research Associates (PDRAs) In this video, members of the team share insights into four exciting PDRA opportunities currently available. If you are ready to take the next s...
digitalmedia.sheffield.ac.uk
Excited to be co-organising this again, and this time at University of Sheffield. Please send in your abstracts and spread the word!
Josh Milburn@joshmilburn.bsky.social · 6mo agoConference announcement/CFP: Social Ties in Animal Politics: Mutuality Beyond Humanity University of Sheffield 8-9 September 2026 This is the latest installment in the long-running Animal Politics series. Abstracts due 12 June. Spread the word!
Conference announcement/CFP: Social Ties in Animal Politics: Mutuality Beyond Humanity University of Sheffield 8-9 September 2026 This is the latest installment in the long-running Animal Politics series. Abstracts due 12 June. Spread the word!
Social Ties in Animal Politics: Mutuality Beyond Humanity
Social and political relationships constitute the foundation of our shared communities. Yet, scholars working in the field of animal politics have not had these social ties as their primary focus. The...
philevents.org
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... Political realists believe that we shouldn’t criticize political phenomena on moral grounds. If they are right, are animal ethicists in trouble? Can we still criticize speciesist social orders? In this new paper, I argue that we can.
Ideology, Red in Tooth and Claw: Realist Ideology Critique and Animals
Click on the article title to read more.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Excited for this! Presenting some fresh work from my new project on the social status of animals. The talk is open to everyone so please come along if you want to hear more :)
Society for the Study of Ethics and Animals@ethicsandanimals.bsky.social · 11mo agoThe SSEA is excited to announce the first of our Fall 2025 Online Colloquium series. Matthew Perry (University of British Columbia), October 2, Noon Eastern: "The Desubjectification of Animals". For more information on how to attend, please visit our website, www.ethicandsanimals.org
I am extremely happy to share this! Here are my thoughts on what an appropriate international regime of human rights should like today - and it is also in open access degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/1…
