annual conference
2026
Tampere
university
10.–11.
september
with
the theme
of
love for animals
annual conference
Tampere university
10.–11. september, 2026
with the theme of
annual conference
Tampere university
10.–11. september
with the theme of
ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE FINNISH SOCIETY FOR HUMAN-ANIMAL STUDIES 2026
– LOVE FOR ANIMALS
Welcome to The annual conference of the Finnish Society for Human–Animal Studies of 2026! This year the conference examines the perspectives of anthropological animal research on love for animals.
The term love for/of animals is used carelessly in everyday life, often without considering the phenomena, contexts and obvious contradictions associated with it. Loving an animal that is close to us is easy and natural. When love takes on a universal form, it also extends towards emotionally more distant and unfamiliar animals – even those who, from a human perspective, cause harm or disturbance.
The theme of the 2026 conference invites researchers to present perspectives and positions on the relationships between humans and non-human animals through the themes of affection, nurturing, care and love.
Organizers: The Finnish Society for Human Animal Studies (YKES ry) and Making the Modern ‘Meat Complex’ -project (Research Council Of Finland, 2025–2029).
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Elisa Aaltola and Otto latva
The keynote speakers at the event are Elisa Aaltola, Docent of Animal and Environmental Ethics and Senior Researcher (University of Turku), and Otto Latva, Docent in the field of more-than-human history and senior researcher at the University of Turku.
The title of the keynote lecture by Elisa Aaltola, a philosopher who has become well-known as an activist, writer and active speaker, is "The Paradox of Love: When Love Entwines with Violence".
In his lecture “Historical Perspectives on Love for Animals”, historian and non-fiction writer Otto Latva will emphasise the perspective of the shared past of humans and nonhuman animals.
conference programme
-
09.00 Registration – Place: Main Building lobby (1st floor)
09.45 Welcoming words – Place: Main Auditorium, Main Building
10.00 Keynote 1: Elisa Aaltola – The Paradox of Love: When Love Entwines with Violence – Place: Main Auditorium, Main Building
11.00 Coffee break – Place: Main Auditorium lobby, Main Building (2nd floor)
Art programme:
Paintings by Limppu Witick and sound installation by Pinja Mustajoki.
11.30–13.00 Parallel sessions 1
Working group 1 – Eläinrakkauden ilmentymiä - In FinnishChair: Pinja Mustajoki – Place: Main Building A062
Anna-Mari Rimppi & Jari Parkkisenniemi: Rakkaus vahvistussuhteena: radikaalin behaviorismin näkökulmia ihmisen ja eläimen välisestä rakkaudesta
Terhi Hannola: Eläinrakkauden (uudelleen)muotoiluja tuotantoeläinten turvakodeissa
Aleksi Paavilainen: Epämääräinen eläinetiikka Luontopäiväkodissa
Working group 2 – Care IChair: Philip Line – Place: Main Building E301
Karin Dirke & Nora Schuurman: Doing animal pain: Pain performances in literature on veterinary care and animal communication
Erika Zinders: Producing care: orienting canine desire in assistance dog dyads
Michaela Ahonen: Illustrating Care & Co-Existence: An Applied Anthropological Design Study on Feline Well-being in Enriched Indoor and Outdoor Environments CANCELLED
Working group 3 – Näkökulmia eläinrakkauteen I - In FinnishChair: Katri Aholainen – Place: Main Building B09 kokoushuone 3
Limppu Witick: Jumala rakastaa luotujaan: Näkökulmia kristilliseen eläinrakkauteen taiteen keinoin
Suvi Vepsä: Monilajinen taide ja rakkauden etiikka
Riitta Ilona Pummi-Kuusela: Eläimet osana moraalikasvatusta 1800-luvun suomalaisissa lastenlehdissä
13.00 Lunch (at own expense)14.30–16.00/16.30 – Parallel Sessions 2
Working group 4 – Näkökulmia eläinrakkauteen II - In FinnishChair: Eeva Nikkilä – Place: Main Building A062
Matti O. Hannikainen: Pinnan alla piileviä tunteita vaiko akvaariorakkautta? Tunteet suomalaisessa kalakeskusteluissa 1800-luvun lopulta nykypäivään
Moona Kinnunen: Jumalan Karitsa ja Jeesuksen mahdollisuudet eläinoikeuksien edistämisessä CANCELLED
Juuso Järvenpää: Eläinrakas teurastus 1900-luvun taitteen eläinsuojelussa
Working group 5 – Love for Animals IChair: Katri Aholainen – Place: Main Building B09 kokoushuone 3
Philip Line: “For love of you, I’ll build a castle.” Love of the horse in the Middle English romance Bevis of Hampton.
Tiina Salmia: “When Love and Death Embrace” – The Artistic and Scientific Gaze Toward Non-Human Animals of Jussi Mäntynen and Magnus von Wright
Suzana Marjanić: Love and Suffering for Animals: Animal Rights Activism in Croatia [online]
19.00 Conference dinner at Restaurant Muusa (Satakunnankatu 10)Art progamme at the conference dinner: fragments of a theatre play read by theatre performers (written translation/summary available in English.)
-
09.30 Registration – Place: Main Building lobby (1st floor)
10.00 Keynote 2: Otto Latva: Historical Perspectives on Love for Animals – Place: Main Auditorium, Main Building
11.00 Coffee break – Place: Main Auditorium lobby, Main Building (2nd floor)
Art programme:
Paintings by Limppu Witick and sound installation by Pinja Mustajoki.
11.30–13.00 Parallel Sessions 3
Working group 6 – Care II - in English & in FinnishChair: Eeva Nikkilä – Place:Linna K106
Anna-Mari Rimppi, Tiina Shen, Hanh Doan-Voutilainen: At Your Service: Animal Labor and Multispecies Care
Lauren van Patter: Urban animals: Complexity & care
Nora Schuurman: Lajienvälisten kohtaamisten tuttuus ja vieraus: Metsä monilajisena kotina
Working group 7 – Monilajisia kohtaamisia - In FinnishWorking group cancelled!
Working group 8 – Love for Animals IIChair: Philip Line – Place: Linna K108
Olaf Laczak: Tracing Interspecies Sympathy in Eighteenth-Century Britain: A Computational Approach
Ella Lundqvist: Exploring vegan emotions towards animals through autoethnography
Katja Tiisala: Animal Love, Animal Respect
13.00 Lunch (at own expense)14.00–15.30 Parallel Sessions 4
Working group 9 – Kertomusten eläimet - In FinnishChair: Katri Aholainen – Place: Linna K106
Maija Hämäläinen-Abdessamad: Eläimet ja uskomusolennot venäläisessä Vuoksi-laululyriikassa
Aino Jämsä: Kerrottuja, vaalittuja käärmeitä: Elättikäärmetarinat Suomessa 1800- luvulta 1900-luvun alkuun
Marianna Lammi: Sovinnaiset ja kapinalliset eläinrakkauden tarjoumat Vaahteranmäen Eemeli -kirjasarjassa
Working group 10 – Discourses and ethicsChair: Philip Line – Place: Linna K108
Lucia Gräschke: To Rescue or to Leave It Alone: The Discursive Construction of Charisma in the Case of a Humpback Whale in the Baltic Sea
Jenna Aarnio: Wild animals out of place
Silviya Serafimova: Is Love Enough to Overcome Inequalities? Some Reflections on Relational Justice for Animals [online]
Working group 11 – Eläinrakkaus ja media - In FinnishChair: Pinja Mustajoki – Place: Linna K109
Heidi Mikkola: Eläinten medioituminen luonnonsuojelun suoratoistolähetyksissä
Sanna Karimäki-Nuutinen: ”Kulttuurin lihakohut” kollektiivisen välittämisen avautumisina
Peppi Kajoluoto: Vastustusta ja toisenlaisia suhteita tuotantoeläinten turvakodissa
Friday’s art programme will be published later.
registration
The conference is an in person event. The keynote lectures will be available online.
To register, please fill this formby August 31st.
Participation fees:
Members of YKES ry: 0 €
Non-members: 25 €
Undergraduate students from Tampere University: 0 €
Undergraduate students from other universities: 15 €
The keynote lectures are free of charge and open to all audiences. The participation fee includes the whole programme and coffee service.
VENUE
The conference is held at the Tampere University 10.–11.9.2026. Buildings: Main Building (Päätalo, Kalevantie 4) and Linna-building (Linna, Kalevantie 5)
CONTACT
Got questions? Don’t hesitate to contact us via email: info(at)ykes.org.