International Online Lecture Series “The Human-Animal Bond in Eastern and Eastern-Central European Literature and Scholarship (19th ct.)”

What role did animals play in the emergence of modern conceptions of nature, knowledge, and humanity?

During the Long 19th Century – from the late 1700s to World War I – the relationship between humans and animals underwent a fundamental transformation. Animals were not only a source of food, a labor force, and the subject of scientific research, but also increasingly became the focus of ethical, philosophical, and literary debates. Questions of consciousness, suffering, dignity, and agency took center stage, as did the question of what actually distinguishes humans from animals.

This lecture series explores these developments in Eastern and Central Eastern Europe, particularly within the context of the Russian, Habsburg, and Ottoman Empires. Through the interplay of religion, the natural sciences, medicine, philosophy, and literature, new conceptions of animals and the relationship between humans and nature emerged. The influence of evolutionary theories and modern science increasingly challenged the notion that humans stand outside or above nature.

Contributions from literary studies, philosophy, the history of science, and cultural history offer diverse perspectives on an era in which the modern understanding of nature, knowledge, and humanity underwent a decisive transformation.

The lectures will take place online every other Friday starting October 16, 2026.

Please find details on the topics and dates in the attached poster.

The zoom-link to participate will be sent out to you after registering via:

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