Animals may be divided into two basic categories; wild and domesticated animals. The latter can be said to include farm and working animals, pets, companion animals, and assistance animal categories. While the position of wild animals has received attention from leisure and tourism studies the position of the domesticated segment of the animal population in leisure experiences remains largely un-studied. Although the domesticated animals may be viewed as the mundane inhabitants of the animal kingdom they are also arguably the ones that humans are most likely to see and/or have contact with in the leisure (as broadly defined to include tourism, hospitality, sport, and events) environment. These animals are often objects that are utilised for human leisure and pleasure, icons/brands of leisure experiences/destinations, and increasingly clients or pseudo-clients of the leisure experience. The position of domesticated animals in the leisure experience is related to and a reflection of patterns in humans’ leisure desires, the relationship between humans and animals, and views concerning the rights of animals and their sentience and welfare. All of these points are temporally and spatially specific

It is against this background that in addition to being of value in its own right, understanding the position, role, and experiences of domesticated animals in leisure is important in terms of understanding human’s personal identity, health and wellbeing, changing social and cultural values, and animals, both in their own right and how we, as humans, relate to and use them. Consequently, this session aims to act as an arena for the development of understandings of the position of domesticated animals in leisure. This arena, as with leisure in general, is a multi-disciplinary one that needs to hear from and speak to historians, sociologists, anthropologists, geographers, economists, and zoologists, amongst others.

Potential themes for presentations include, but are not limited to:

• Histories of animals in sport
• Social constructions and acceptance (or otherwise) of blood sports
• Domesticated animals in the construction of tourism destination and hospitality product imagery
• Animals as clients of leisure experiences
• Domesticated animals as cuisine
• Changing nature of domesticated animals: from work tools to sporting accoutrements
• Fashion and domesticated animals as leisure
• Leisure as a lens for animal rights and welfare debates

Abstracts (limited to 250 words) should be sent to Neil Carr ([log in to unmask]), by 16 May 2013. Authors will be notified of acceptance of their abstract for presentation at the conference by 10 June, 2013

Please ensure that abstracts include all author names, institutions and an email contact for the lead author. Any special presentation equipment (e.g. slide projector) required should be noted in the email in which the abstract is submitted.