Jacob Bull

Short presentation

I am a social and cultural geographer who has been based at the Centre for Gender Research since 2009. My research is positioned at the intersections of Animal Studies, Gender Studies and Geography, with a focus on the role of animals in understandings of space, place and identity. My research interests include Animal Welfare, Sustainability/Critical Future Studies and Rural Politics.

Keywords

• post-humanities
• environmental humanities
• critical future studies
• social sustainability
• animal welfare
• rurality
• agriculture
• STS

Biography

I have a broad interdisciplinary background in Social and Cultural Geography, and before that Environmental Science and Law and Economics. My research interests have always attended to the questions of environment, animals and rural politics. My work uses Gender Studies theories and methods to critically engage with the more-than-human aspects of our social worlds. I have worked with both animals that play recognisable roles in our lively multi-species communities such as cattle and chicken as well as critters that are marginal or pose more challenges to convivial life such as insects and parasites. At broader geographical scales I also engage with the specificities of agriculture and rurality in discussions of crisis and changing environmental and political conditions.

My teaching reflects this broad interdisciplinary base including undergraduate teaching on both the Gender Studies and the Social Sustainability Programmes. At the Masters level I teach the Gender Science and Nature, the Feminist Methodologies and Methods, and the Humans, Animals and Environments courses. In addition I supervise Undergraduate, Masters and Doctoral Students.

Research

2025 (ongoing) Challenging Ruralities: examining responses to environmental and democratic crises.

2022-2025 Integrating improved animal welfare and sustainable development within the Swedish broiler industry. (co-applicant with Linda Keeling SLU) 3 Million SEK (FORMAS)

2019-2023 The use of positive animal welfare indicators in the dairy industry: Science and policy (co-applicant with Linda Keeling SLU) 6 Million SEK (FORMAS)

2015–2018 Changing animal bodies: breeding responses to environmental, economic and social pressures. (Principle Investigator) 5 Million SEK (FORMAS) – detailed in the Statement of Scientific Merit.

2012 – 2017 Becoming human: gender theory and animals in a more-than-human world (Principle Investigator) 6 million SEK (Vetenskapsrådet)

2011 Urgent grant for the Zoo-ethnographies Symposium (FORMAS).

2010 (Co-applicant with Tora Holmberg) Urgent Grant for the Animal Movements: Moving Animals Conference (FORMAS).