Summer School 2026

Becoming and Being Human within Multispecies Communities: Towards Respectful Coexistence

Dates: 9 – 11 June 2026
Location: Oulu, Finland
Language: English
Number of participants: 20 
Fee: Free of charge

Application: via Webropol
Application period: 3 December 2025 – 15 February 2026

About the AniMate Summer School

The Summer School brings together science, art, and community members to explore one of the most crucial questions of our time: How can we live respectfully with other species? This 3-day event is hosted by the members of the AniMate research collective and marks the collective’s 10th anniversary. Our work lies at the intersection of environmental social sciences, childhood studies, education and critical animal studies, broadly exploring how humans become human and are human with other beings: from insects to birds to mammals, pets to liminal to wild animals.

The theme of the school, Towards Respectful Coexistence, flows from our past and ongoing research, and reflects collaboration with and/or inspiration from key scholars such as Krithika Srinivasan, Dinesh Wadiwel, Danielle Celermajer, John Lupinacci, Thom van Dooren and Deborah Bird Rose. The theme invites us to consider what respectful multispecies coexistence might mean and, more importantly, how it can be practiced across diverse contexts, when conflict and risk are recognised as a central dynamic. Some guiding questions of the Summer School are:

    1. What conceptual frameworks capture respectful multispecies coexistence as dynamic, relational, and situated processes, rather than static or idealized states?
    2. In what ways can already existing practices of respectful multispecies cohabitation across diverse contexts inform or challenge our understanding?
    3. How can educational environments and pedagogies be shaped to support situated learning that nurtures respectful interspecies relationships?
    4. How can artistic practices and expressions help us imagine, represent, and otherwise engage with the complexities of respectful multispecies coexistence?

We will address these questions together through a combination of lectures, discussions, creative workshops, nature walks, as well as network building, socialising, and enjoying the Finnish summer and its activities. The Animate Summer School is proud to present two excellent keynote lecturers to facilitate these discussions: Associate Professor Ursula Münster, and Dr. Kristian Brevik. 

Dr. Ursula Münster, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

Ursula Münster is Associate Professor of Environmental Humanities and the founding director of the Oslo School of Environmental Humanities (OSEH). She is currently involved in building up OSEH as a strong multidisciplinary network of environmental scholars, students, artists, activists, and practitioners at UiO, and beyond. She is also committed to experimenting with new forms of learning and teaching in the Anthropocene.

Her research interests include multispecies ethnography, political ecology, wildlife conservation in the Anthropocene, extinction studies, gender, and practices of more-than-human care. She is currently editing her ethnographic monograph with the working title: “Encountering Wildlife: Conflicts, Care and Conviviality in a South Indian Forest”. Since August 2022, she is leading the large multidisciplinary project “Anthropogenic Soils“, funded by the Research Council of Norway (fellesløft).

Dr. Kristian Brevik, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA

Kristian Brevik works to bring together artistic practice, ecology+evolutionary science, and the environmental humanities into collaborative research and art exploring the ways the lives of humans and other beings are entangled. In practice, Kristian researches relationships between humans and insects using genetics and computational biology, teaches science, art and the humanities in academic and community classes, writes on the theory and practice of building kinship with other species, and creates artwork in the form of large interactive installations of “ghost lanterns” which serve as contemplative memorials for those species who have been lost or are in decline due to human activity, collaborative performance, such as the River Clyde Pageant, and a monthly mini-zine, Unfolding Connections, on the topic of multispecies relating. Kristian is also developing a practice of multispecies artmaking exploring intersubjectivity titled, “Art for Fish.”

Who Should Apply

The Summer School invites a wide range of participants with an interest in the school’s theme:

    • Graduate students and early-career researchers from humanities and social sciences (e.g., anthropology, education, literary/cultural studies, history, philosophy, geography, STS), and allied fields (arts, design, natural sciences) whose projects or interests relate to the theme of the summer school.
    • Practitioners and professionals in the fields of education and the arts (teachers, early childhood educators, artists, and creative practitioners).
    • Community organizers and activists.
    • Anyone curious about human-animal coexistence!

Fees & What’s Included

Participation in the Summer School is free of charge. However, participants are expected to cover their own travel and accommodation costs. We are happy to provide letters of support for those seeking travel grants from their institutions or other sources.

Application Instructions & Important Dates

The Summer School accommodates 20 participants to facilitate a slow and in-depth collaborative nature and atmosphere of the event. Rather than academic or professional merits, participants will be selected based on motivation, interests, and background to form a diverse group of thinkers and doers. 

Application materials:

  1. Motivational letter (500 words maximum): Please describe in what ways the theme of the AniMate Summer School relates to your research and/or practice. In your answer, for example:
    • Explain why you are interested in this summer school.
    • Briefly describe your studies, research interests, or professional experience relevant to the theme of the summer school.
    • Outline how participation in the summer school will support your academic, professional, or personal development goals.
  1. 2-page CV

Important: Merge two files (Motivation letter and CV) into one pdf document and name in the following format (MateSS26_SURNAME)

How to apply: submit via online form via Webropol form. Before filling the form, please get aquainted with the privacy notice for the AniMate Summer School applicants.

Application period: 3 December 2025 – 15 February 2026

Notification of acceptance by: March 5, 2026

Credit / Certification

Participants who complete the full programme and required assignments may receive a Certificate of Completion. Where applicable, we can issue documentation for ECTS/credit recognition (e.g., ECTS depending on workload and assessment tasks). Please check with your home institution.

Apply for the Summer School

Supported by the Biodiverse Anthropocenes research programme, University of Oulu, and Research Council of Finland funded projects Homings (2024-2028) and Elotila (2025-2026).