TaSTI research seminar Studying animals from social science perspectives
October 2-3, 2025, at Tampere University
Keynote: Professor Pru Hobson-West, University of Nottingham, the UK
Seminar focus: The seminar features social scientific research on animals. It delves into the human-animal intersections and explores for instance questions related to ethics of human-non-human relations, animal rights and human-animal welfare. Theoretically the seminar presentations draw from multispecies studies, post-humanist thinking, and new materialism, among others.
Venue: Tampere University, Linna-building, seminar room TBA
Registration: Seminar is free of charge, but registration is required by September 22, registration link
Seminar program
Thursday October 2, 2025
12.15-12.30 Opening words
12.30-13.30 Keynote lecture Vaccines, veterinarians, and the entanglement of human and animal healthcare
Pru Hobson-West, Professor, University of Nottingham
13.30-14.00 Coffee (served in front of the seminar room)
14.00-15.00 One Health, One Welfare, One Organization: Multispecies (work) well-being
Astrid Huopalainen, Assistant Professor, Aalto University
Iida Hietala, PhD researcher, Aalto University
Anna Hielm-Björkman, Docent, University of Helsinki
Nona Borgström, PhD researcher, University of Helsinki
15.00–16.00 Accounts of flourishing and prefigurative action: an analysis of the online accounts of farmed animal sanctuaries
Eija Vinnari, Professor, Faculty of Management and Business, Tampere University
Markus Vinnari, Senior University Lecturer, University of Helsinki
18.00- Dinner (venue to be announced later)
Friday October 3, 2025
09.30-10.30 The visual presence of animals: Technologically mediated governance of human-animal relations
Niina Uusitalo, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences, Tampere University
10.30-11.30 The Rise of Non-Animal Methodologies: Imaginaries of Ethical Science
Elina Mäkinen, Professor, Faculty of Management and Business, Tampere University
Outi Koskinen, post-doctoral researcher, Faculty of Management and Business, Tampere University
Marianne Mäkelin, post-doctoral researcher, Faculty of Management and Business, Tampere University
Mianna Meskus, Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University
11.30- Lunch (at own cost, venue to be announced later)
Abstract of the keynote Vaccines, veterinarians, and the entanglement of human and animal healthcare by Pru Hobson-West
Social scientists interested in health have tended to ignore the role of animals and the profession of veterinary medicine. The contribution of this talk is threefold. First, I will argue for the close entanglement of human and animal lives and the need for more research which focuses on medicine across species boundaries. Second, I will critically account for the traditional lack of scholarly attention devoted to non-human animals, and also identify the trends making this position unsustainable. Third, I will draw on recent qualitative studies which analyse the role of animals as both producers of medical knowledge (in the laboratory) and consumers of medical knowledge (in the clinic). Using the example of vaccines and reflecting on my own career path, I hope to provoke questions about the current and future contribution of social science to interdisciplinary conversations about the role and treatment of animals in contemporary society.
Biography: Pru Hobson-West is Professor of Science, Medicine and Society at the University of Nottingham, UK. She is also director of the Institute of Science and Society, and an Honorary Professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science. Pru has expertise in the fields of science and technology studies, medical sociology, and animals and society. Her work focuses on controversial or sensitive areas of medicine. She has published on fields including vaccination (of humans and animals), the use of animals as laboratory models, and questions of consent in clinical practice. Professor Hobson-West is interested in applied research which demonstrates the value of qualitative methods, and breaks down barriers between research, engagement and policy change.
More information: Academy Research Fellow Pia Vuolanto, pia.vuolanto@tuni.fi