Anthrozoology, also known ashuman–animal studies (HAS), is the subset ofethnobiology that deals withinteractions betweenhumans and otheranimals. It is aninterdisciplinary field that overlaps with otherdisciplines includinganthropology,ethnology,medicine,psychology,social work,veterinary medicine, andzoology. A major focus of anthrozoologic research is the quantifying of the positive effects of human–animal relationships on either party and the study of theirinteractions.[1] It includes scholars from fields such as anthropology, sociology, biology, history and philosophy.[2][3] The term should not be confused with "animal studies", which often refers toanimal testing.[citation needed]
Anthrozoology scholars, such asPauleen Bennett, recognize the lack of scholarly attention given to non-human animals in the past, and to the relationships between human and non-human animals, especially in the light of the magnitude of animal representations, symbols, stories and their actual physical presence in human societies. Rather than a unified approach, the field currently consists of several methods adapted from the several participating disciplines to encompass human–nonhuman animal relationships and occasional efforts to developsui generis methods.
.jpg)
There are currently 23 college programs in HAS or a related field in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Germany, Israel and the Netherlands, as well as an additional eight veterinary school programs in North America, and over thirty HAS organizations in the US, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, France, Germany, New Zealand, Israel, Sweden, and Switzerland.[citation needed]
In the UK, theUniversity of Exeter runs an MA in Anthrozoology which explores human–animal interactions from anthropological (cross-cultural) perspectives. Human animal interactions (HAI) involving companion animals are also studied by theWaltham Centre for Pet Nutrition, which partners with the USNational Institutes of Health to research HAI in relation to child development and aging.[5]
The field has also expanded beyond Western academic institutions. In Iran, a body of phenomenological research on human-animal relationships has emerged, critically examining traditional practices involving animals. Sociologist Hossein Solati and his colleagues have published a series of studies applying ethical phenomenology and human-animal studies frameworks to analyze the Varzajang (bullfighting) tradition in Gilan province. Their 2024 study directly addresses animal abuse and applies the concept of "phantom pain" (drawing on Blumenberg) to understand the persistence of animal suffering within cultural traditions.[6][7] A 2023 study in bioethics by Solati and Taghavian advocates for the recognition of animal subjectivity and rights as a philosophical counterweight to traditional justifications for animal suffering, contributing to the broader international discourse on animal ethics.[8] A further phenomenological study examined the evolution of human-animal relations across generations within the same cultural practice.[9] These works represent the first systematic integration of human-animal studies frameworks within Iranian sociology.
There are now three primary lists for HAS scholars and students—H-Animal, the Human-Animal Studies listserv, and NILAS, as well as the Critical Animal Studies list.[clarification needed]
There are now over a dozen journals covering HAS issues, many of them founded in the last decade, and hundreds of HAS books, most of them published in the last decade (see for example,Humanimalia).Brill,Berg,Johns Hopkins,Purdue,Columbia,Reaktion,Palgrave-Macmillan,University of Minnesota,University of Illinois, andOxford all offer either a HAS series or a large number of HAS books.[citation needed]
In addition, in 2006,Animals & Society Institute (ASI) began hosting the Human-Animal Studies Fellowship, a six-week program in which pre- and post-doctoral scholars work on a HAS research project at a university under the guidance of host scholars and distance peer scholars.[citation needed] Beginning in 2011, ASI has partnered with Wesleyan Animal Studies, who will be hosting the fellowship in conjunction with ASI. There are also a handful of HAS conferences per year, including those organized by ISAZ and NILAS, and the Minding Animals conference, held in 2009 in Australia. Finally, there are more HAS courses being taught now than ever before. The ASI website lists over 300 courses (primarily in North America, but also including Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, and Poland) in 29 disciplines at over 200 colleges and universities, not including over 100 law school courses.[citation needed]
{{cite journal}}:Check|issn= value (help)| Art |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Culture | ||
| Literature | ||
| Philosophy | ||
| Religion | ||
| Other | ||
| Related | ||
| Applied | ||
| Fields |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Related |
| |
| Applied | ||
| Branches |
|
|---|---|
| Ethologists |
|
| Societies | |
| Journals | |
| Branches |
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animal groups | |||||
| Animal anatomy Animal morphology |
| ||||
| Animal physiology |
| ||||
| Zoologists | |||||
| History | |||||
| Primary | |
|---|---|
| Interdisciplinary |
|
| List | |
| Other categorizations | |
Authority control databases: National |
|---|
