RESEARCH INTERESTS / ACTIVITIES
Emily is an academic activist that has recently completed her PhD in Human-Animal Studies at the University of Canterbury in Ōtautahi Christchurch in Aotearoa New Zealand (affiliated with the New Zealand Centre for Human-Animal Studies).
Her research focuses on the framing of possums as 'pests' in Aotearoa New Zealand and considers the increased use of compassionate conservation principles in conservation messaging in effort to encourage empathy and alleviate the extreme cruelty of possums. While this research focuses on advocacy for possums, it also addresses how ‘actually-humane’ forms of education need to be prioritised in conservation education.
Her research and teaching interests include, but are not limited to, speciesism, compassionate conservation, wildlife trade/trafficking, green criminology, ecofeminism, urban conservation, and particularly the framing of maligned species. Please get in touch if you are interested in collaborating.
ARTICLES IN PROGRESS
• Upcoming compassionate conservation article co-authored with esteemed Animal Studies scholars at the Sydney Environment Institute (at the University of Sydney). Manuscript preparation phase.
• Major, E. (2023). 'Tonight at 6: Misinformation and Justification of Cruelty to Possums in Online Media in Aotearoa New Zealand'. Abstract accepted for Frontiers in Communication. Article due: December 2023.
• Major, E. (2023). 'Conservation, Brushtail Possums, and Inclusive Social Work'. Abstract accepted for Animals and Social Work. Article due: April 2024.
• Major, E. (2023). ‘Possums are as Kiwi as fish and chips’: Possum Advocacy and the Potential for Compassionate Conservation. Targeted for Animal Studies Journal. Manuscript preparation phase.
DISSERTATIONS
• Major, E. (2023). ‘Possums are as Kiwi as fish and chips’: Possum Advocacy and the Potential for Compassionate Conservation in Aotearoa New Zealand (Doctoral thesis, University of Canterbury).
• Major, E. (2017). 43 Days of Merazonia: How Speciesism Impacts the Rehabilitation and Release of Animals Affected by the Wildlife and Pet Trade in Mera, Ecuador (Master thesis, University of Exeter).
MEDIA & PODCAST INTERVIEWS
• Animal Matters" Podcast Interview | upcoming
• "The Deal with Animals" Podcast Interview | 2021 | https://tinyurl.com/y6vfa246
• 3cR's "Freedom of Species" Podcast Interview | 2021 |
https://tinyurl.com/y7tywd7v
WEBSITE/BLOG
• Framing Speciesism https://www.framingspeciesism.com
Framing Speciesism is an academic activist blog dedicated to detangling how certain species are ‘framed’. The first species to be highlighted is the brushtail possum.
