CfA: Thinking Through Dogs: Canine-Human Relationships in India’s Past and Present2026.7.5 {en}
THINKING THROUGH DOGS
Canine-Human Relationships in
India’s Past and Present
Online Workshop: 15th – 16th October 2026
Institute of Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH) University of Edinburgh (UK)
While dogs have been universally recognised as the species closest to humans since prehistoric times (dating back at least 15000 years), their role and significance have varied drastically across time and cultures. The Canis Familiaris, or domesticated dogs, have been well attested globally through their bodily remains, visual representations, textual references, presence in stories, songs, and other historical sources. Their existence in multiple milieus from prehistoric to contemporary times in the Indian subcontinent is noteworthy too. Dogs feature in prehistoric Bhimbetka rock art. They were discovered through dog remains and figurines at various sites of the Harappan civilisation, not to mention their portrayal in a plethora of literary, illustrative, and material sources such as Sanskrit Kavyas, Jataka stories, Rajput and Mughal paintings, and carved dog motifs in collections at various museums. In fact, many configurations of human- canine relations also form part of public memory, popular folklore, and literature. One of the most shared episodes is of the wandering dog of the Mahabharata who takes Yudhishtra to the gates of heaven and Yudhishtra’s refusal to enter heaven without this dog. Others include depictions of dogs as the vehicle of gods and deities (such as Bhairav), and anecdotes about Junagarh Nawab’s love for his royal dogs during the Partition of 1947. Within the literary world, dogs feature as protagonists in Premchand’s stories, Rabindranath Tagore’s writing, and in Faiz Ahmad Faiz’s poetry. Our contemporary times are witness to canines’ reliability for protection through guard and shepherd dogs of the Himalayan ranges, as emotional support and service dogs, and the modern K9 fleet of the Indian army. In fact, the omnipresent indie street dogs and dogs as pets within homes are living reminders of our deep-rooted entanglements with this species.
Evidently, dogs have been ubiquitous in India’s past and present. From being companion species to fulfilling collaborative roles as guards, scavengers, fighters with humans and gods alike – the roles fulfilled by and accorded to dogs have been varied and continue to evolve. Such extensive canine presence attests to their wide-ranging status and contradictory identities, which entail being considered impure, dirty, divine, nuisances, pests, vermin, threats, pets, food, protectors, guardians, and national defenders. The most recent episode highlighting this complexity and polarised public response is the 2025-2026 case in the Supreme Court of India to tackle dog bites and rabies. While a section is pleased with the control of the dog ‚menace‘ through capture and permanent restraint of street dogs, another section comprising animal welfare organisations, NGOs, lawyers, and community dog feeders has taken to protests along with legal representation to preserve the right of dogs to live on the streets.
This workshop intends to provide intellectual strength to this rich assortment of canine-human relationships. By foregrounding dog-human relations and animal cultures as historical heritage and living reality of India, it seeks to highlight multiple formats of canine-human relationships, which may or may not entail human ownership. It specifically invites students, researchers, early career and established scholars, activists, lawyers, and other professionals to think through dogs. That is, to reflect on any aspect of dog-human relationships (with or without ownership) and dog cultures in India across historical periodisation, until our present times.
Prospective participants are encouraged to focus on centrality, representation, status, and identities of dogs, while also considering them as responsive historical actors with the capacity to impact. That is, view dogs’ presence (wherever possible) as living and intelligent beings with agency and subjectivity of their own. This agency may be evident through their existence, cooperation, or refusal to comply, or a combination of all. Recent research orientations such as nonhuman and animal history, more-than-human framework, interspecies and intra-species relations, nonhuman materiality among others, may offer helpful insights.
The following are some of the suggested themes, though participants are welcome to combine research methods, disciplines, themes, and approaches, or go beyond the stated suggestions:
- Dogs and prehistory
- Dogs in and as sources of history
- Dogs in art, architecture, and illustrations
- Dogs and warfare
- Dogs in various geographical terrains (mountains, valleys, plains, riversides, oceanic world etc.)
- Dogs and religion
- Dogs and royalty or imperial connections
- Dogs and caste
- Dogs and marginality
- Dogs and dietary regimes
- Dogs and companionship
- Dogs and language
- Dogs in legal frameworks
- Dogs as labouring bodies & collaborators
- Dogs, diseases, and science
- Dogs and the modern state
- Dogs and colonialism
- Dogs in/and conflicts, protests
- Dogs in independent India
- Dogs in sport, defence, and entertainment
- Dogs through agency, subjectivity & intelligence
Please send an extended abstract of 500-700 words along with a brief biographical note to thinkingdogworkshop[at]gmail.com by 15th August 2026 .
Selected participants will be required to submit a working draft of the paper (between 3000-4000 words) or presentation outline by 5th October 2026.
A select number of papers will be considered for publication.
Source: Thinking Through Dogs: Canine-Human Relationships in India’s Past and Present – Online Workshop, H-Net: Humanities & Social Sciences Online „CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.“
