Interspecies Politics
Title | Interspecies Politics PDF eBook |
Author | Rafi Youatt |
Publisher | University of Michigan Press |
Pages | 209 |
Release | 2020-02-25 |
Genre | Political Science |
ISBN | 0472131753 |
Politics "with" the environment
Interspecies Politics
Title | Interspecies Politics PDF eBook |
Author | Rafi Youatt |
Publisher | University of Michigan Press |
Pages | 209 |
Release | 2020-02-25 |
Genre | Political Science |
ISBN | 047212644X |
This book explores the ways that international politics is a form of interspecies politics, one that involves the interactions, ideas, and practices of multiple species, both human and nonhuman, to generate differences and create commonalities. While we frequently think of having an international politics “of” the environment, a deep and thoroughgoing anthropocentrism guides our idea of what political life can be, which prevents us from thinking about a politics “with” the environment. This anthropocentric assumption about politics drives both ecological degradation and deep forms of interhuman injustice and hierarchy. Interspecies Politics challenges that assumption, arguing that a truly ecological account of interstate life requires us to think about politics as an activity that crosses species lines. It therefore explores a postanthropocentric account of international politics, focusing on a series of cases and interspecies practices in the American borderlands, ranging from the US-Mexico border in southern Texas, to Guantánamo Bay in Cuba, to Isle Royale, near the US-Canadian border. The book draws on international relations, environmental political theory, anthropology, and animal studies, to show how key international dimensions of states—sovereignty, territory, security, rights—are better understood as forms of interspecies assemblage that both generate new forms of multispecies inclusion, and structure forms of violence and hierarchy against human and nonhuman alike.
When Animals Speak
Title | When Animals Speak PDF eBook |
Author | Eva Meijer |
Publisher | NYU Press |
Pages | |
Release | 2019-11-26 |
Genre | Nature |
ISBN | 1479809772 |
A groundbreaking argument for the political rights of animals In When Animals Speak, Eva Meijer develops a new, ground-breaking theory of language and politics, arguing that non-human animals speak—and, most importantly, act—politically. From geese and squid to worms and dogs, she highlights the importance of listening to animal voices, introducing ways to help us bridge the divide between the human and non-human world. Drawing on insights from science, philosophy, and politics, Meijer provides fascinating, real-world examples of animal communities who use their voices to speak, and act, in political ways. When Animals Speak encourages us to rethink our relations with other animals, showing that their voices should be taken into account as the starting point for a new interspecies democracy.
Animal Intimacies
Title | Animal Intimacies PDF eBook |
Author | Radhika Govindrajan |
Publisher | University of Chicago Press |
Pages | 235 |
Release | 2018-05-29 |
Genre | Social Science |
ISBN | 022656004X |
“A delightful read [and] an important addition to human-animal relations studies.” —Anthropology Matters What does it mean to live and die in relation to other animals? Animal Intimacies posits this central question alongside the intimate—and intense—moments of care, kinship, violence, politics, indifference, and desire that occur between human and non-human animals. Built on extensive ethnographic fieldwork in the mountain villages of India’s Central Himalayas, Radhika Govindrajan’s book explores the number of ways that human and animal interact to cultivate relationships as interconnected, related beings. Whether it is through the study of the affect and ethics of ritual animal sacrifice, analysis of the right-wing political project of cow-protection, or examination of villagers’ talk about bears who abduct women and have sex with them, Govindrajan illustrates that multispecies relatedness relies on both difference and ineffable affinity between animals. Animal Intimacies breaks substantial new ground in animal studies, and Govindrajan’s detailed portrait of the social, political and religious life of the region will be of interest to cultural anthropologists and scholars of South Asia as well. “Immerses us in passionate case studies on the multiple relationships between Kumaoni villagers and animals in Uttarakhand.” —European Bulletin of Himalayan Research “A memorable and innovative ethnography.” —Piers Locke, University of Canterbury
Into the Breach
Title | Into the Breach PDF eBook |
Author | Mathieu Dubeau |
Publisher | |
Pages | 181 |
Release | 2021 |
Genre | |
ISBN |
Do non-human animals have the potential to augment power relations? Are they, or, can they be, subjects of justice? This dissertation takes a critical and nuanced dive into the historical and contemporary relationship between human dog handlers and military working dogs in order to track the flow of interspecies power relations to explore these questions. Through a close examination of this interspecies relationship, I document how the divergence in political consideration between dogs and humans reveals how power relations operate between and within species. Although some non-human animals possess the ability to augment power relations, they rarely achieve a political status that is equivalent to the most dominant humans, making them vulnerable to oppression. In light of this reality, I argue that interspecies justice, when it comes to our relationships with non-human animals, is not a universalisable set of principles. In fact, under-differentiated responses risk doing more violence to non-human worlds despite promising justice. Instead, our obligations to other non-human animals need to be understood as deeply contextual and informed by analyzing asymmetric relationships that foreclose the opportunity for some beings to pursue flourishing. An interspecies justice demonstrates in the first place the necessary mutual recognition of dependence between living beings; the recognition of our dependence and need of others in the construction of our world demands greater relations of respect. And second, the promise of an interspecies politics recognizes the multitude and diversity of entanglements any particular being shares with others that mutually uplifts and stimulates co-species flourishing. This is perhaps the most insightful contribution of an interspecies justice. Rather than enhancing our power as humans to shape and control, to objectify the ability of others, the recognition of mutual dependence and difference shows us just how fragile the pursuit of an interspecies justice is. The hope for an interspecies politics, then, becomes more respectful reciprocal interspecies relationships that value difference and lead to the creation of social institutions that socialize care and consideration beyond our immediate relationships.
Animal Labour
Title | Animal Labour PDF eBook |
Author | Charlotte E. Blattner |
Publisher | |
Pages | 255 |
Release | 2019-12 |
Genre | Animal welfare |
ISBN | 0198846193 |
Is animal labour inherently oppressive, or can work be a source of meaning, solidarity, and social membership for animals? This challenging question drives this thought-provoking collection which explores the possibilities and complexities of animal labour as a site for interspecies justice.The book assembles an international and interdisciplinary group of scholars who carefully grapple with the many facets, implications, and entanglements of animal labour, and who, crucially, place animals at the heart of their analyses. Can animals engage in good work and have humane jobs? What kindsof labour rights are appropriate for animal workers? Can animals consent to work? Would recognizing animals as workers improve their legal and political status, or simply reinforce the perception that they are beasts of burden? Can a focus on labour help to create or deepen bonds between animaladvocates and other social justice movements? While the authors present a range of views on these questions, their contributions make clear that labour must be taken seriously by everyone interested in more just and ethical multispecies futures.
Politics of Species
Title | Politics of Species PDF eBook |
Author | Raymond Corbey |
Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
Pages | 595 |
Release | 2013 |
Genre | Animal rights |
ISBN | 1107424380 |
"The assumption that humans are cognitively and morally superior to other animals is fundamental to social democracies and legal systems worldwide. It legitimises treating members of other animal species as inferior to humans. The last few decades have seen a growing awareness of this issue, as evidence continues to show that individuals of many other species have rich mental, emotional and social lives. Bringing together leading experts from a range of disciplines, this volume identifies the key barriers to a definition of moral respect that includes nonhuman animals. It sets out to increase concern, empathy and inclusiveness by developing strategies that can be used to protect other animals from exploitation in the wild and from suffering in captivity. The chapters link scientific data with normative and philosophical reflections, offering unique insight into controversial issues around the ethical, political and legal status of other species"--