Dong-A University Institute of Humanities Hosts Academic Conference on "Trends and Directions in Inter-Species Community Research"

The First Domestic Academic Conference of the First Phase, First Year of the National Research Foundation of Korea Humanities and Social Sciences Research Institute Support Project

Dong-A University (President Lee Hae-woo) announced on the 7th that the Seokdang Academy of Humanities Research Institute held an academic conference on the theme of "Trends and Directions in Inter-species Community Research."

The Seokdang Institute of Humanities at Dong-A University is holding an academic conference on the trends and directions of interspecies community research and is taking a commemorative photo. Provided by Dong-A University

This academic conference was the first domestic academic conference of the first phase, first year of the Humanities and Social Sciences Research Institute support project by the National Research Foundation of Korea, held on the 5th at the 11th floor of the College of Humanities and Sciences at Dong-A University in a hybrid format (in-person and online).

On this day, in-depth presentations and discussions were held by domestic researchers on topics including △Modern Discourse on Animal Philosophy (Kim Jae-cheol, Kyungpook National University) △Bees and Beekeeping Seen Through Ancient Texts (Hwang Dong-kwon, Dong-A University) △Ways of Facing the Death of Companion Animals: Focusing on Companion Animal Funeral Procedures (Oh Yoon-jung, Dong-A University) △A Sociological Perspective on Multi-species Approaches (Joo Yoon-jung, Pusan National University) △Multi-species Sensing Communities: Temporality of Bird Monitoring and Ethics/Politics Beyond Humans (Sung Han-ah, KAIST) △Companion Animal Care and Life Satisfaction (Kim Su-jin, Dongmyung University).

Jung Kyu-sik, director of the Seokdang Academy of Humanities Research Institute at Dong-A University, said, "This academic conference was organized to review the research achievements on inter-species communities conducted so far across various academic fields such as philosophy, literature, anthropology, sociology, ornithology, and companion animal studies, and to explore future research directions," adding, "We hope it will serve as an opportunity for not only professional researchers but also the general public to expand their new understanding of inter-species communities."

The Seokdang Academy of Humanities Research Institute at Dong-A University was selected for the Ministry of Education and National Research Foundation of Korea's "2024 Humanities and Social Sciences Research Institute Support Project," receiving 1.7 billion KRW over six years to conduct the "Study on the History and Ecological Cultural Change Patterns of Inter-species Communities."

The research goal is to present the "future" of inter-species communities from a humanities perspective?communities formed between humans and animals?by examining their "history," in order to overcome the global crises caused by frequent climate disasters and various virus outbreaks and to enable coexistence among multi-species life forms.

This research is expected to provide clues to solving various problems arising from human-animal networks, such as infectious diseases, conflicts caused by companion animals, culling and burial of farmed animals, and restoration and extinction issues of wildlife, as well as to foster experts related to human-animal relationships and create job opportunities.