Unstructured entanglements of human leisure and non-human animal life
Research with, on and about non-human animals (henceforth ‘animals’) in relation to human leisure is growing. Yet numerous aspects of the links between animals and human leisure remain in urgent need of attention. This current knowledge gap is especially problematic given advancing academic debates outside of the leisure field and increasing social concern for non-human animals. Therefore, we invite submissions for a special issue of the World Leisure Journal focused on animals unstructured entanglements with human leisure.
People at leisure regularly tangle with animals in highly structured ways, such as at wildlife tourism attractions, cat shows, horse trials, pet therapy sessions, dog walking, and more. Such structuring occurs via mediation techniques, such as enclosures, signage, restraints, businesses, expert guidance, rules, human skills, and technological equipment. These types of structured entanglements have dominated recent growth in animal-leisure, which has been driven by a greater recognition and valuing of animal sentience in society. This research has explored the human leisure experience in relation to animal welfare, the rights of animals, animal justice, human morality, as well as other themes. At the same time, researchers are also looking to advance leisure studies in more-than-human ways of thinking. Yet the majority of entanglements, especially unstructured ones, between animals and human leisure remain under-explored.
Therefore, we invite papers for a special issue of the World Leisure Journal that focus on the unstructured entanglements of animals and human leisure. 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. In multifarious non-structured ways, in these and other settings, human leisure entangles with animal life without any pre-design or mediation. These entanglements create outcomes that may be welcomed or not, beneficial or not, dangerous or not, divisive or not, for all participants, both animal and human.
This special journal issue aims to facilitate knowledge advancement and dissemination in the following areas:
- Animals in human leisure experiences
- Debates of animal wellbeing, welfare, rights, and justice
- Progression of methodological approaches and philosophical underpinnings for studying animals in leisure studies
Potential topics are wide-ranging and include, but are not limited to:
- Encounters between leisured people and stray animals
- Perceptions of ‘pests’ in the leisure environment and the associated implications
- Issues of human health and wellbeing from unstructured animal entanglements
- Unstructured encounters, touching and feeding of free-roaming animals
- Animals’ role in inspiring a sense of awe
- When structured human leisure activities create moments of unstructured human-animal and animal-animal entanglements
- Theories of animal welfare, the rights of animals, and humans’ moral obligations
- Conflicts - between people over animals, between people and animals, or between animals
- Disruptions to human or animal leisure
- The realities of animal life – death, illness, sex, and defecation as perceived by leisured people.
- Photos, both contemporary and historical, and the unstructured animal entanglement
Thank you
Paul Tully, Neil Carr, Kate Dashper, and Carol Kline
