In spring 2021 I initiated "𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞/𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐦: 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐲, 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡”, an independent online symposium bringing together researchers, activists and artists to discuss the hierarchies and interdependencies between different forms of life, as well as death, dying, and killing.
Initially, this was a stream I started organizing at a prestigious legal conference back in 2021; the terms of the conference were to me unfair and absurd, so I decided to withdraw my stream and organize it independently. Most people I had selected for the stream (I got many applications and my stream brought together more people than any other stream) supported me and withdrew from the conference too.
We’ve since had eight panels: in fall 2021, fall 2022, spring 2023, and spring 2024. The symposium brought together 30 presenters and hundreds of attendees from all over the world. While the project initially centred on the ties between ecocide and speciesism, gradually it’s expanded to our many other crimes against nonhumans.
I organized these panels alone and with no funding, which was at times tough: from academics to practicalities, and the perseverence needed to keep investing hundreds of hours of unpaid work. But I learnt so much: from topics I hadn’t thought of to the wonderful people I got to meet, presenters and attendees, some who became good friends.
Here’s the symposium booklet, to get a sense of the project and past/upcoming topics. It’s 44 pages of, dare I say, fascinating content for anyone who cares about nature and nonhumans: https://lnkd.in/dEv6kN_e?
Here’s the project Facebook page; besides updates on the symposium, I post every day reading resources, events, and other content on environmental and animal rights: https://lnkd.in/dWe54xTc
I’m now planning four new panels through winter/spring (two general panels on nonhuman rights and environmental crimes, two special panels on challenging animal captivity). If you’d like to share your work (research, activism, arts), send me a proposal. Find in the booklet all details on submissions.
Creator, Education Innovation Catalyst, Advisory Services, & Founder Social Venture / Girls Leadership Collaborative M.Ed
8moKim Anderson - Cortlandt Meyerson was the founder of Hack for Global Good (for which you were an amazing judge for our FOOD hack in 2022!) and has continued to create significant impact and is now a senior who has co-founded the first-ever Regenerative Agriculture conference and they are doing a movie night! So obviously thought of you… your global movie night initiative!