About animal law
Animal law is the study of animals’ place within the legal system. This includes hard and soft law, national and international law, law as is and law as it should be, criminal law, administrative law and private law, as well as the enforcement of such legislation. The research field extends to rights theory and legal theory, and an analysis of the power balance struck between humans that create the law, and animals that are subject to it. Animal law shares interfaces with law regulating children’s rights and environmental law. Studies within the field include critical analysis of roles played by the constitution, international cooperation, the legislator, the public administration and police, the courts, and animal owners and industry. While research within animal law is predominantly legal, socio-legal, and criminological, it is an interdisciplinary field incorporating perspectives and findings from disciplines such as sociology, political science, natural sciences, history, economics, psychology, and philosophy.
About the network
Norwegian Forum for Animal Law is intended to serve as a platform for researchers working with questions relating to the legal regulation and protection of animals in Norway. The forum is inclusive, interdisciplinary and welcomes diverse perspectives and research agendas. Norwegian Forum for Animal Law will host seminars and workshops to facilitate knowledge exchange, disseminate research and contribute to public debate. The forum was established in 2023.
Outcomes
The forum will host a series of combined seminars and writing workshops with invited guest speakers for academics working within the field of animal law, including legal scholars, socio-legal scholars, criminologists, political scientists and researchers from other disciplines. Master students are also welcome to the workshops. The seminars are open to public. The first seminar will be held in fall 2023.
Financing
The forum is funded by The Norwegian Research Council, as part of the project "Law under deglobalization: socio-legal perspectives on democracy, migration, technology, and war".