France-Florida Research Institute

After spending time in the field with evolutionary biologist Amotz Zahavi, the Belgian philosopher and psychologist Vinciane Despret determined that unconventional, interactive approaches to animal knowledge can yield surprising and interesting results. That work has explored the shortcomings of assumptions and methods in mainstream scientific practice; highlighted the insights of amateurs who work closely with animals in their daily lives; analyzed the ways that humans and nonhumans become with one another, in both work and companionship; and expanded our understanding of what we can know and do together, through practices of care and mutual respect. This event will discuss this research alongside relevant French literature and sociology.

Anne McConnell is a Professor in the English Department at West Virginia State University. She specializes in contemporary literature and philosophy from France, Latin America, and the United States, with an emphasis in animal studies and ecocriticism. She has published two books, Approaching Disappearance (2013) and Stepping Off the Edge (2021), along with a variety of academic articles.