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Sunday, December 17, 2006
Gender Issues in Donkey Use From my friend Jon: 'CALL FOR PAPERS The second biennial Hydra Donkey Conference: THE ROLE OF THE DONKEY AND THE MULE IN THE CULTURE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN A Weekend Conference to be held on the Island of Hydra, near Athens, Friday 13th October - Sunday 15th October 2007 In October 2007 the Free University of Hydra, in collaboration with the School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and the Mayor and Municipality of Hydra, is organising an international conference which will examine, document and celebrate the role of donkey (and also the mule) in the culture of the countries bordering the Mediterranean basin. The island of Hydra has a special place in Europe as a developed economy where a large percentage of personal transport and transportation of goods is done by mule and donkey. There are no cars. We are proud of our mule and donkey culture. The conference will examine every aspect of donkey and mule culture, ranging from the economics of rearing and maintaining livestock, to the shaping of the Mediterranean landscape, and taking in literature and philosophy en route. Issues such as the working conditions of animals, gender issues in donkey use, donkeys in leisure activities etc will be addressed. The themes of our first conference in 2004 included: donkeys in ancient history; the donkey in religious representation; a Charter for the Working Donkey; the tales of Nasreddin Hoja; saddle-making, ornamentation and harnesses of mules and donkeys; the languages of donkeys and donkey-drivers; women and their donkeys; donkeys and song; culinary considerations of donkeys; the donkey goes to war; and mules and donkeys as an environmentally sustainable transport option.' |