Legislating for animals, nature and social flourishing
Amidst ongoing ecological decline, the University of Birmingham Law School is leading crucial research toward a future of prosperity for animals, nature and society.
Our researchers are tackling some of the most impactful ecological and multispecies issues affecting communities across the globe, including biodiversity loss, climate change, factory farming, and pollution.
Our mission is to identify and respond to insufficiently prioritised ecological issues, like the impact of factory farming on animal welfare, through methods that emphasise the interconnected nature of human, animal, and planetary wellbeing.
Working collaboratively for people and planet
The Multispecies Collective is a collaborative group of researchers working together with practitioners, change-makers, and future-oriented creatives. Together, they create knowledge, theory, and practice for positive change toward futures of multispecies flourishing. The Collective was founded and led by Birmingham Law School Assistant Professor Iyan Offor.
We believe that the only way through multispecies crises is to work collaboratively, linking knowledge and practice across disciplines, and drawing connections between law and policy reform and creative and artistic practice.
The collective is home to expertise that cuts across the humanities and the social sciences. Members frequently connect knowledge from multiple fields to arrive at critical thought and innovative solutions to issues of multispecies flourishing. This is made possible by the collective’s research lab, a space for creative and collaborative idea generation.
Thinking differently about multispecies flourishing
The collective’s interdisciplinary knowledge base and network of partners support its members' creative and critical approaches to their research. One example is a project led by Dr Iyan Offor: Solarpunk and Multispecies Worlding.
To make real change, I am convinced in the power of stories, narratives, and experience. For this reason, I find it incredibly important to reflect on the approach to ecology, social justice, and hope embedded within the stories we tell about the more-than-human world. It is for this reason that my research project is developing creative writing methods to conduct research, practice and advocacy for multispecies flourishing.
This project's aim is to adapt the recently emerged subgenre of sci-fi and fantasy called “Solarpunk” for the practice of collaboratively imagining worlds that better respond to crises of multispecies flourishing. This project resists the apathy and anxiety so often generated by the likes of climate change and, instead, offers practices grounded in hope (and critical theory) to allow individuals to recognise the agency they have to build toward change. The solarpunk project has been shared in various settings including the MYTO Art Collective's solarpunk exhibit, captured in a publication by STIGMATA.
This is just one of a range of projects advanced through the collective on issues including:
Delivering research for our communities
The collective prioritises making change through its research, whether through teaching and supervision work or by collaborating with policymakers and advocates for change. The collective makes its knowledge and discussions available to the public through its range of public events.
The collective's reading group meets every 3-months for open discussion of texts and themes chosen by those who attend. Its research showcase and research dialogues series feature research, creative practice and advocacy work on multispecies issues in various formats. And, it hosts large events in collaboration with our partners such as:
- UK Animal Law Conference
- Paula Sparks World Moot on International Law and Animal Rights
- Center for Animal Law Studies inaugural Symposium on Aquaculture Law & Policy.
Find out more about the Multispecies Collective, sign up to the mailing list, or register for upcoming events by visiting the website.