Minding Animals International (MAI) provides an avenue for the transdisciplinary field of Animal Studies to be more responsive to the protection of animals.  It is recognised that animal protection in this context encapsulates environmentalism, animal liberation, animal rights, wildlife protection, animal welfare and animal justice (in no particular order of importance).  MAI aims to enable discourse between the various interests within this rapidly developing transdisciplinary field in ways that will improve the status of non-human animals and alleviate nonhuman animal exploitation.  As such, MAI facilitates research in Animal Studies as a conduit of non-governmental politics and action.  MAI acts as a bridge between academia and advocacy and is a network of academics, artists, activists and advocates, dedicated to the study and protection of all planetary life through the advancement of Animal Studies.

MAI was founded in early 2010 by Rod Bennison to advance this objective as originally adopted by the Organising Committee for the Inaugural Minding Animals Conference (MAC) in Newcastle, Australia, and affirmed by the Minding Animals Committee (initially established at the close of that conference to examine holding a second conference).  The Newcastle conference also represented the third biennial conference of the Australian Animal Studies Group.  The Minding Animals International Committee has now been replaced by a more formal structure.

An Academic Advisory Council will meet when required to consider any academic matter of concern and relevance to MAI.  The Academic Advisory Council of 20 members will be appointed at the close of each MAC.  Therefore, each term of a Council member will be for three years timed to coincide with the triennial conference.  Council members can renominate.  The Council is coordinated and serviced by the MAI Board of Directors.  The Council will discuss possible research agendas and, with the Patrons, advise the Board on the overall direction of Minding Animals International on behalf of the global Animal Studies academy, as well as inspire discussion within the Study Circles.

The Minding Animals Board is made up of a permanent CEO and Deputy CEO, as well as a Secretary and Treasurer and five additional ordinary members selected at the Board meeting held during the triennial conference (nominations must be called for before the conference in the Minding Animals Bulletin).  The Board will also have one member from each national Minding Animals committee (as represented by the chair/convenor of that national group) elected on an annual basis.  The Convenors of all MA conferences will hold a permanent position on the Board.

The Board will hold a triennial international conference, and will undertake the weekly, if not daily functions of Minding Animals, such as arranging Pre-conference Events (PCEs), fundraising, member activities and finance.  The Board will select the (next) conference host (institution(s)) and decide the theme(s) for the following conference in collaboration with the Organising Committee established for that conference, but within the broad objectives of Minding Animals as a concept.  No one theme should be advanced at the expense of another.  The Board will be obliged to continue to provide practical advice on an ongoing basis to the Organising Committee.

The Board will set the overall agenda for Minding Animals International, and will coordinate the Study Circles on behalf of the Council, maintain the Minding Animals website and email database, release the International Minding Animals Bulletins, and release (with the Conference Organising Committees) the Conference Newsletter.  Minding Animals International will also maintain the following online accounts: Gmail, Twitter, Facebook, Hootsuite, and MAI and Study Circles Googlegroups.  One of the Patrons will be requested to take up the position of Minding Animals Disputes Resolution Counsel to handle any internal dispute that may arise.

Conference Themes, Objectives and Principles

The Minding Animals Conference has the following major recurring themes and objectives:
• To reassess the relationship between the animal and environmental movements in light of climate change and other jointly-held threats and concerns;
• To examine how humans identify and represent nonhuman animals in art, literature, music, science, and in the media and on film;
• How, throughout history, the objectification of nonhuman animals and nature in science and society, religion and philosophy, has led to the abuse of nonhuman animals and how this has since been interpreted and evaluated;
• To examine how the lives of humans, and companion and domesticated nonhuman animals are intertwined, and how science, human and veterinary medicine utilise these important connections;
• How the study of animals and society can better inform both the scientific study of animals and community activism and advocacy; and,
• How science and community activism and advocacy can inform the academic study of nonhuman animals and society.

Minding Animals International and Conferences will not exclude any animal, environmental, scientific or veterinary group or advocacy, or any other relevant organisation, from participating in Minding Animals Conferences or Events, except in so far as the following Ethical Statement applies:
• Minding Animals does not support and will reserve the right to refuse offers of support or sponsorship where it deems that a group or organisation supports or funds animal cruelty and exploitation, such as the use of animals in the testing of products manufactured for human cosmetics or beauty, and of any company that supports or funds the fur industry or the commercial killing of marine mammals; and,
• Minding Animals also does not support and will reserve the right to refuse offers of support or sponsorship from organisations which, for example, knowingly support acts of violence, the trade in armaments, nuclear weapons, tobacco promotion, oppressive regimes, environmentally damaging practices, poor employment practices and slavery.

The Conferences

The Minding Animals Conference (MAC) as a concept was devised to advance the emerging transdiscipline of Animal Studies (incorporating Human Animal Studies, Animals and Society, and Critical Animal Studies) both within the academy and the broader community.  The overriding objective, therefore, will be to continue to do this.

In addition, and to build on its transdisciplinarity, all MACs will strive to engage the sciences and the humanities.  Each MAC will also strive to engage environmental and animal advocacies, government bureaucracies and tertiary institutions.  Each conference will be held every three years at various tertiary institutions selected by the Minding Animals International Board of Directors and will include unique features, including:
• A Protecting the Animals Seminar Series where advocacies, government agencies and research institutes are given the freedom to present their objectives and outline their activities in a non-confrontational and educational environment;
• Several Pre-conference Events around the globe to advance and promote the main MAC (to be cost-neutral to the MAC); and,
• Each MAC should provide a featured forum for Animal Studies groups to meet and organise.

Conference Organising Committees and Commitments

A Conference Organising Committee will be selected from the host institution(s) and comprise the MAI Board CEO, Deputy CEO, and one other member of the Board from the nation or continent selected to host the conference.  The Organising Committee shall elect a Conference Convenor to head the conference and as any other members as it determines.  The Conference Convenor will then be permanently co-opted onto the MAI International Board.

The Organising Committee will be obligated to seek funding for the conference (within the ambit of the Conference Themes, Objectives and Principles, and with the direct assistance of the MAI Board), and to appoint a company to run/organise the conference.  As such, financial liability will always lie with the host institution(s).  The Conference Manager (from the organising company) will be a member of the Organising Committee.  The Organising Committee will make all possible attempts to negotiate with all local public and private art galleries an arts festival to run concurrently with the Conference.  A film and or documentary festival shall also be considered, as will a performance art event.  All such events should be cost-neutral to the MAC and to MAI.

The structure of each MAC will be decided by the Organising Committee, but should include the Protecting the Animals Seminar Series, an Animals Studies Groups Forum and, ideally, an Interfaith Service.  A traditional conference structure is recommended with oral sessions, and plenary sessions with invited guests.  Specialist panels should also be considered.  Consideration should be made of holding dedicated roundtables on, for example, Animals and Feminism, Animals and the Queer Communities, and a Student Forum, or as is organised by the Minding Animals Study Circles.  The Organising Committee should consider appointing a local Advisory Committee, an Abstracts/Publications Sub-Committee and a Financial Sub-committee.

As far as is possible, and as the MAC is an academic and community conference, abstracts should not be excluded for poor academic merit alone, but should be considered also on the importance to the community and to advancing the objectives of the Minding Animals concept.  Student papers should also be actively supported.  Consideration should be made of limiting the number of accepted abstracts from any one author.

The MAI Website will also be made available to all subsequent MACs.  The Conference Twitter, Facebook, Hootsuite, Googlegroups and Gmail accounts will also be made available as is necessary.  All Minding Animals Conferences, and Events organised directly by MAI, will, henceforth, be vegan, and will strive to be GM-free, organic and carbon-neutral.  All other Minding Animals Events not organised directly by MAI will also be encouraged to adopt this policy.

The Study Circles

Several transdisciplinary Study Circles have been established and will be supported by the Board.  They will be guided in academic discourse by the Academic Advisory Council.  The objectives of the Study Circles will be to:
• Support Minding Animals International;
• Discuss academic and advocacy matters that will improve the status of non-human animals and alleviate nonhuman animal exploitation; and,
• Have discussions that culminate in lunch-time roundtables at all Minding Animals Conferences and in joint papers where possible.

National Minding Animals Groups

National Minding Animals groups are recognised by the Board as constituted under local legislation as voluntary incorporated bodies (or equivalent) or from broadly representative national groups.  The objectives of the National Minding Animals Groups will be to:
• Support Minding Animals International;
• Discuss academic and advocacy matters that will improve the status of non-human animals and alleviate nonhuman animal exploitation;
• Guide transdisciplinary activities of Animal Studies scholars and others interested in Animal Studies outside of individual institutions;
• Work with other established national or institutional based Animal Studies groups towards jointly held matters of interest; and,
• Work with the International Board to hold Pre-conference Events as precursors to the main international conference.
The National Groups will be able to locally organise (within the particular national incorporations legislation), but will elect a convenor/chair who will also be that national bodies’ representative on the Board.  Members of National Minding Animals groups will select a national organising committee that may include, with the Convenor/Chair, a Deputy Convenor, Treasurer, Secretary, Membership and Newsletter Officer.  National groups will also be able to establish a membership database, complementary to the International email members list, and will also contribute to the Minding Animals International Bulletin.

Minding Animals Conference Selection Process

A Call for Expressions of Interest will be made for institutions to host each Minding Animals Conference.  The call will be made in the Minding Animals Bulletin one year prior to the next conference for the conference that follows.  The selected institution will be announced at the next conference and in the Bulletin.  The key factors that will determine whether an institution is selected will entail consideration of several factors that include:
• The ability to support and commit to the objectives of Minding Animals International;
• Financial capability of the nominee host;
• Ability to negotiate with all local public and private art galleries for an arts festival to run concurrently with the Conference, as well as the ability and or willingness to host a film and or documentary festival, and a performance art event;
• Ability to facilitate the Protecting the Animals Seminar Series, Animals Studies Groups Forums and an Interfaith Service;
• Ability to facilitate specialist panels and Minding Animals Study Circles;
• A commitment to not exclude abstracts on academic merit alone, but also consider the importance of an abstract/presentation to nonhuman animals, the broader community and to advancing the objectives of the Minding Animals concept; and,
• Commitment and ability to be a vegan, GM-free, organic and carbon-neutral conference.