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.

Aktivisti, kirjailija ja aktiivinen puhuja filosofi Elisa Aaltola.

conference programme

  • 09.00 Registration

    09.45 Welcoming words

    10.00 Keynote 1: Elisa Aaltola – The Paradox of Love: When Love Entwines with Violence

    11.00 Coffee break

    11.30–13.00 Parallel sessions 1


    Working group 1 – Eläinrakkauden ilmentymiä - In Finnish

    • Chair: Pinja Mustajoki – Place: to be announced

    • 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 I

    • Chair: to be announced – Place: to be announced

    • 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


    Working group 3 – Näkökulmia eläinrakkauteen I - In Finnish

    • Chair: Katri Aholainen – Place: to be announced

    • 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 Finnish

    • Chair: Eeva Nikkilä – Place: to be announced

    • 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

    • Juuso Järvenpää: Eläinrakas teurastus 1900-luvun taitteen eläinsuojelussa


    Working group 5 – Love for Animals I

    • Chair: Katri Aholainen – Place: to be announced

    • Faeze Rezaii: For Our Own Good: Trans-species Care and Genetic Engineering in the Novel A Door into Ocean

    • 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)


    Thursday’s art programme will be published later.

  • 09.30 Registration

    10.00 Keynote 2: Otto Latva: Historical Perspectives on Love for Animals

    11.00 Coffee break

    11.30–13.00 Parallel Sessions 3


    Working group 6 – Care II

    • Chair: Eeva Nikkilä – Place: to be announced

    • Anna-Mari Rimppi, Tiina Shen, Hanh Doan-Voutilainen: At Your Service: Animal Labor and Multispecies Care

    • Lauren van Patter: Urban animals: Complexity & care


    Working group 7 – Monilajisia kohtaamisia - In Finnish

    • Chair: Pinja Mustajoki – Place: to be announced

    • Nora Schuurman: Lajienvälisten kohtaamisten tuttuus ja vieraus: Metsä monilajisena kotina

    • Virpi Väkkärä: Monilajisia kohtaamisia lintulaudoilla

    • Outimaija Hakala: Ystäväni Alida – taiteellinen tutkimus ihmisen ja ponin välisestä suhteesta [online]


    Working group 8 – Love for Animals II

    • Chair: Philip Line – Place: to be announced

    • 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 Finnish

    • Chair: Katri Aholainen – Place: to be announced

    • 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 ethics

    • Chair: Philip Line – Place: to be announced

    • 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 Finnish

    • Chair: Pinja Mustajoki – Place: to be announced

    • 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.

Book of Abstracts

registration

The conference is an in person event. The keynote lectures will be available online.

To register, please fill this form by 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.

annual conference 2026

tampere
university
10.–11.
september


with the theme of

love for animals

Tampere university
10.-11. september

with the theme of

register now