Academics and students from different universities and disciplines came together at Istanbul Bilgi University on March 28th to introduce a new academic network that will bring together researchers who approach Ottoman-Turkish history from an 'animal history' perspective.
The number of historians specializing in the animals that lived in the lands of the Ottoman Empire (specifically the Balkans, Anatolia, and the Middle East) is steadily increasing. In the fall of 2023, a group of academics and students from Istanbul Bilgi University formed a platform dedicated to scholars interested in including non-human animals in historical narratives. In December 2023, Hayvanât – The Animal History Network was officially recognized as a research group operating under the auspices of Istanbul Bilgi University.
To introduce this new research group and discuss its approach and roadmap, academics and students from various institutions and disciplines gathered at Istanbul Bilgi University's Santralistanbul campus on March 28th. Participants specializing in history, sociology, political science, media studies, literature, linguistics, and other fields shared their suggestions on integrating historical findings with animal studies' principles.
Hayvanât aims to foster collaboration and sharing among researchers from various disciplines working on the regions formerly encompassed by the Ottoman Empire. It seeks to increase the visibility of academic studies on non-human animals, enhance our understanding of the transformations of human-animal relationships and interactions in different contexts, and contribute to the construction of a more equitable past and future.
Our website and newsletters will serve as a collective platform for sharing information about new research projects. We aim to provide an open-access online archive of documents, images, and teaching materials to encourage new research in animal history. Additionally, workshops and conferences are among Animalat's long-term goals.
For more information, please visit our website: https://hayvanat.bilgi.org.tr/ or email us at hayvanat@bilgi.edu.tr.
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