2016 15th ANNUAL NORTH AMERICAN
CONFERENCE FOR CRITICAL ANIMAL STUDIES

Senate Room, Student Union
Fort Lewis College
Durango, Colorado, USA
Saturday, November 12 and Sunday, November 13, 2016
#2016NACriticalAnimalStudies
There is an airport – Durango Airport

CLICK HERE FOR PDF OF CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

LIVESTREAMING CLICK HERE

The North American Collective of the Institute for Critical Animal Studies (ICAS) is calling for presentations by activist-scholars for panels, workshops, trainings, teach-ins, spoken-word sessions, roundtables, documentary showings, and art performances that examine effective, successful activism. All sessions will be 1 ½ hours long. We are very interested in activism that promotes the intersections between speciesism, animal liberation, and the following: anarchism, sexism, racism, colonialism, economic justice, ableism, prison abolition, the war on drugs, green anarchism, youth justice, Hip Hop, punk, Transphobia, LGBTTQQIA, elitism, veganism, vivisection, entertainment, fashion, music, media, imperialism, political prisoner support, total liberation, and the Animal Liberation Front.

ICAS is committed to making sure that critical animal studies is grounded in activism by activists rather than in mere theory by theorists and academics who speak about activism and nonhuman animals from a detached perspective.

14947616_1724608844526826_6081427018452525303_n The Institute for Critical Animal Studies (ICAS), rooted in animal liberation and anarchism, is an intersectional transformative, holistic, theory-to-action, activist-led organization. ICAS unapologetically examines, explains, is in solidarity with, and part of radical and revolutionary actions, theories, groups, and movements for total liberation. We seek to dismantle all systems of domination and oppression in quest of a just, equitable, inclusive, and peaceful world.

The 15th Annual Conference is a grass-roots, non-funded, fully-volunteer, free event (with donations being requested and welcomed during the conference). As this is a volunteer-led effort, the conference will not cover food, but attendees can eat in the cafeteria, where there will be vegan options. We have no scholarships or funding to pay for lodging or travel of anyone. We also because of our anarchist values will not pay people to speak or provide a plenary panel or keynote to value one over another.

Nestled in the Rocky Mountains, Durango, Colorado is an international vacation destination with hiking, bicycling, camping, skiing, rafting, climbing, art galleries, wonderful restaurants/cafes, and Native American ruins. Durango, Colorado has a local airport, over twenty hotels, public transportation, and is one of the most beautiful mountain towns in the United States. We invite you to not only attend the conference, but save time to enjoy the natural world as well.

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Conference Committee is the ICAS International Collective (International Board):

Anthony Nocella, Fort Lewis College
Sinem Ketenci, Institute for Critical Animal Studies
John Lupinacci, Washington State University
Joe Leeson-Schatz, Binghamton University
Carolyn Drew, University of Canberra
Amber George, Cornell University
Ian Purdy, Institute for Critical Animal Studies

If you have any questions please contact:

Sean Parson – Sean.Parson@nau.edu

ICAS is excited to say that of 2016 ICAS is moving to a working-collective for our Board of Directors. ICAS founded in 2001, is a fully-volunteer organization and since 2013 have begun having collective/board meetings to aid in distributing power equitably. In 2014 we have created working roles for each individual on the collective/board, which in 2015 we defined roles and created a 100+ manual to help build and organize ICAS to be more equitable and effective. Today, the ICAS International Collective is skilled and moving forward as a small collective, not an association or term-limited board of directors. We cannot be everything for everyone and always encourage everyone to help build the field and movement of Critical Animal Studies by building Journals, Conferences, Centers, and other organizations. Thank you again for all the support.

Fort Lewis College has been selected by the ICAS International Collective after the Call for Location Hosts deadline for a number of important reasons. Fort Lewis College can offer free rooms, free technology, accessible buildings, Department supportive of CAS, students and community supportive of CAS, free use of tables, chairs, desks, wi-fi, local airport, hotels, cheap public transportation, beautiful location, and vegan local restaurants. Almost no university/college can offer all of these needs and so we are honored to have Fort Lewis College host this year’s conference. With all of these wonderful free resources ICAS can offer this conference free to attend for all. As a fully-volunteer organization ICAS cannot manage catering food so we are suggesting all attendees during breakfast and lunch to go to the cafeteria to pick up food, which there is vegan options. Of course donations will be accepted during the conference.