The Animals & Society Institute (ASI) is an American non-profit scholarly organization that works to expand knowledge about human–animal relationships, develop knowledge and resources in the field of human–animal studies (HAS), and create resources to address the relationship between animal cruelty and other forms of violence.
On February 17, 2025, ASI announced that it will close at the end of 2025.
Personnel and advisors The ASI is staffed by Ivy Collier (Executive Director), Lisa Lunghofer (Human-Animal Relationships Program Director), Gala Argent (Human-Animal Studies Program Director) and Daniel Earle (managing director). It has a board made up of John Thompson (chair), Anne Elizabeth Hirky (vice chair), Kenneth Shapiro (president and secretary), Petra Pepellashi (treasurer), Beatrice Friedlander, Kristin Stewart, Elan Abrell, and Gail Luciani.
Publications The ASI publishes three journals and a book series.
Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science The Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science is a quarterly journal which is published by Taylor & Francis with sponsorship from the ASI. It has been publishing since 1999, and is presently edited by Cynthia Bennett.
Society & Animals Society & Animals: Journal of Human-Animal Studies is a peer reviewed bi-monthly journal co-published by Brill with sponsorship from the ASI. It has been publishing since 1993, and its founding editor is Kenneth Shapiro. It is currently edited by Susan McHugh, with managing editors Robert McKay (humanities), Robert Mitchell (quantitative natural and social science), Zoei Sutton (qualitative social science), and Drew Winter ("political animals"). Ralph Acampora, Sally Borrell, Pete Porter, Michelle Szydlowski, and Corey Wrenn are review editors.
Special issues that the journal has published include:
Sloth Sloth: A Journal of Emerging Voices in Human-Animal Studies is a bi-annual peer-reviewed journal for work by current and recent undergraduates that has been published by the ASI since 2015. Its current editor is the philosopher Joel MacClellan.
HAS Book Series The HAS Book Series is published by Brill, and was one of the first academic book series focused on animal studies. It is edited by Kenneth Shapiro, Thomas Aiello, and Gala Argent, with an editorial board made up of Ralph Acampora, Clifton Flynn, Hilda Kean, Randy Malamud, Gail Melson, Leslie Irvine, and Richie Nimmo. It publishes both monographs and edited collections. Titles include:
References
Further reading
External links Official site Guide to the Animal Rights Network Records 1903–2003 Guide to the Animal Rights and Animal Welfare Publications 1896–2018 Guide to the Animal Rights Network Oral History Collection 1999–2002 Guide to the Psychologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Records 1926–2013