Date: Thursday, February 20, 2025 6:30 PM - Thursday, February 20, 2025 8:00 PM
Location: Temple University, Japan Campus, 1-14-29 Taishido, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan 154-0004

Speakers:

  • Barbara Holthus (German Institute for Japanese Studies Tokyo)
  • Maho Cavalier (Animal Welfare Corporate Partners Japan)

Moderator:

  • Kyle Cleveland, ICAS Co-Director

Overview

In the Anthropocene, the idea of human exceptionalism continues to shape a human-centric world, perpetuating power imbalances towards animals and the environment. This presentation examines these dynamics in Japan by focusing on two distinct “categories” of animals: companion animals and farm animals. Over recent decades, the populations of both categories have grown significantly in Japan, raising critical questions about human–non-human relationships. How have social norms and legal frameworks evolved to address these relationships? What key issues, conflicts, and challenges emerge for companion and farm animals, and where do their experiences converge or diverge?

Barbara’s sociological qualitative and quantitative analysis for this talk explores the role of social movements advocating for companion animals. Maho provides insights into the challenges and possibilities for improving the lives of farm animals through her non-profit work, focusing on farm animal welfare and active engagement with corporations influential on the supply chain. Often, scholarship on companion and farm animals is discussed separately. Barbara and Maho however see the importance of joint scholarship and action. Together, they argue for systemic, cultural, and social transformations to enhance animal welfare, highlighting its broader implications for environmental sustainability. This interdisciplinary approach underscores the urgent need for a rethinking of human–animal relationships in Japan and beyond.

Date & Time:

Thursday, February 20, 2025 18:30

Venue:

Temple University, Japan Campus Room 208 (Access)

Registration:

Please register using the following link: REGISTER HERE 

 

This event is organized by the Institute of Contemporary Asian Studies (ICAS).

Note: All ICAS events are held in English, open to the public, and admission is free unless otherwise noted.

Speakers:

Barbara Holthus

German Institute for Japanese Studies Japan

Barbara Holthus holds two Ph.D. degrees, in Japanese Studies from the University of Trier, Germany, and in Sociology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Since 2018, she is Deputy Director of the German Institute for Japanese Studies Tokyo. Her sociological research focuses on families, demographic change, human-animal relationships, happiness and well-being, social movements, gender, social change, social inequalities, and Tokyo 2020. For more on her research on pets, see The Sociology of Pets in Contemporary Japan .

Maho Cavalier

Animal Welfare Corporate Partners Japan 

Maho Cavalier (Uehara) is the founder and director of Animal Welfare Corporate Partners Japan (AWCP). After obtaining a degree in Business Administration from the State University of New York, Maho pursued a master's degree in Animal Policy and Advocacy at The Humane Society University Graduate School, where her research focused on "An Examination of Animal Sentience Through the Lens of Animal Euthanasia." In 2017, she joined The Humane League, a successful and prominent farm animal welfare organization. As a founding member of the Japanese branch, she dedicated herself to its establishment. With an emphasis on ethical consumption and integrating animal welfare perspectives within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), she has engaged in ongoing dialogue with major corporations to promote cage-free farming practices for laying hens. In February 2024, Maho founded Animal Welfare Corporate Partners, a non-profit advisory organization that empowers major companies to implement animal welfare policies and cage-free egg sourcing policies. She also serves as a board member of Animal Welfare Food Community Japan and as the Corporate Team Lead of Asia for Animals. She has over twenty years of experience in animal advocacy, both domestically and internationally.


Moderator:

Kyle Cleveland

ICAS Co-director

Kyle Cleveland is the co-director of ICAS and associate professor of Sociology at Temple University, Japan Campus. His expertise ranges from political and theoretical sociology to race and ethnicity, popular culture and ideology.

 View Kyle Cleveland's Profile

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