A variety of concepts and terms circulate in humanities research and social discussions in order to think and describe relationships in a more-than-human world. The symposium will focus on these different concepts: What can we gain by thinking in more-than-(only-)human dimensions? What are the ethical implications of different concepts? What are the methodological challenges of grasping complex more-than-human relationships? What subject-specific tools and transdisciplinary research environments are needed to answer these questions? And what are the relationships between aesthetic articulations and theoretical interventions in the environmental humanities (including ecocriticism, animal studies, critical plant studies, new materialisms)?

The aim of the symposium is to lay the groundwork for a systematic exploration of these terms and concepts and to develop methodological approaches for engaging with more-than-human contexts in and beyond the humanities.