This workshop seeks to open up discussions on rewilding (or re-naturing) by considering how gendered perspectives contribute to new understandings of the social and more-than-human relationships involved in conserving and creating 'new natures'. A series of presentations from varied perspectives in the humanities and social sciences will foreground conversations. The aim of the workshop is to encourage deeper engagements with issues of power, social justice and cultural interpretations in rewilding initiatives.

Presentations will feature:

Sophie Wynne-Jones (Bangor): Feral feelings? Unpacking the role of emotions in rewilding
Ffion Jones (Aberystwyth): How to talk to my Dad and other stories: A feminine perspective of farming lives and the importance of listening in the rewilding debate
Sarah May (Swansea) and Nadia Bartolini (Exeter): Wild Futures: Heritage and gendered experiences in the changing landscapes of the Lake District, UK and in the Côa Valley, Portugal
Olga Petri (Cambridge): "My happiness is that of a canary, women’s happiness": Birds, women, and progress in late imperial St. Petersburg

Discussants include:

Sherilyn MacGregor (Manchester)
Kim Ward (Plymouth)

Tickets are free, but places are limited and will be allocated on a first come first serve basis. Lunch and refreshments will be provided; please email the organizer directly (n.bartolini@exeter.ac.uk) to outline any food preferences and allergies.

Funding for this workshop is supported by the Transformation thematic package of the AHRC-funded interdisciplinary programme 'Heritage Futures' (AH/M004376/1), led by Caitlin DeSilvey at the University of Exeter. For more information on the programme, please visit the Heritage Futures website.

Gender and Rewilding Workshop