Theorizing Animals Human-Animal Studies Editor Kenneth Shapiro Animals & Society Institute Editorial Board Ralph Acampora Hofstra University Clifton Flynn University of South Carolina Hilda Kean Ruskin College, Oxford Randy Malamud Georgia State University Gail Melson Purdue University VOLUME 11 Theorizing Animals Re-thinking Humanimal Relations Edited by Nik Taylor Tania Signal LEIDEN • BOSTON 2011 This book is printed on acid-free paper. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Theorizing animals : re-thinking humanimal relations / edited by Nik Taylor, Tania Signal. p. cm. — (Human-animal studies ; 11) Includes index. ISBN 978-90-04-20242-9 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Human-animal relationships. 2. Human-animal relationships—Philosophy. I. Taylor, Nik. II. Signal, Tania. III. Title. IV. Series. QL85.T46 2011 304.2’7—dc22 2011001410 ISSN 1573-4226 ISBN 978 90 04 202429 Copyright 2011 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Hotei Publishing, IDC Publishers, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers and VSP. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Koninklijke Brill NV provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. Fees are subject to change. preface v For the furry folk in both our lives, past and present, who have inspired—and continue to inspire—our interest in all things human- animal. Here’s hoping they get as much out of our relationships as we do. preface vii CONTENTS Foreword ix Acknowledgments xi List of Contributors xiii Preface: In Hope of Change: Rethinking Human-Animal Relations? Lynda Birke xvii Introduction Nik Taylor 1 par T ONE K NOTTY PROBLEMS: TO THEORISE OR NOT? 1 Mapping Human Animal Relations Peter Beatson 21 2 Theorizing ‘Others’ Lisa Kemmerer 59 par T TWO A NIMALS ND MODERNITY 3 The Underdog in History: Serfdom, Slavery and Species in the Creation and Development of Capitalism Mary Murray 87 4 Dangerous Dogs and The Construction of Risk Claire Molloy 107 5 Ritual, Reason and Animals Gavin Kendall 129 viii contents par R T TH EE AN IMAL PERFORMERS 6 The Representation of Animal Actors: Theorizing Performance and Performativity in the Animal Kingdom Gregory S. Szarycz 149 7 The Gaze of Animals Philip Armstrong 175 par R T FOU FO RWARD THINKING 8 Can Sociology Contribute to the Emancipation of Animals? Nik Taylor 203 9 Theorising Rider-Horse Relations: An Ethnographic Illustration of the Centaur Metaphor in the Spanish Bullfight Kirrilly Thompson 221 10 Ciliated Sense Eva Hayward 255 Concluding Remarks: From Theory to Action: An Ethologist’s Perspective Jonathan Balcombe 281 Index 291 preface ix FOREWORD This volume takes on one of the important challenges facing the emerging field of Human-AnimalS tudies: the development of theory It begins with the meta-theoretical question: Does the field need theory? What are the pitfalls of theory? Is a macro-theory, one that provides a framework for this multi-disciplinary field, possible; is it desirable? Can the field thrive with theory that is simply extension- ist—that takes existing social theories and modifies them to include nonhuman animals? What are the prospects for “hybridized theory?” Finally, can the field develop sui generis theory—theory peculiar to this inter-species, relationship-centered field? Whether or not the editors, Taylor and Signal, have succeeded in meeting these tall orders in this slim volume, I think you will agree the questions are now clear and on the table Kenneth Shapiro, Series Editor Animals and Society Institute, Inc , Washington Grove MD x preface preface xi ACK NOWLEDGMENTS Thanks to KenS hapiro for recognising the potential of this collection and for his advice throughout the process A big thanks to the authors for their patience throughout and thanks also to those who helped behind the scenes with the various skills needed to pull a manuscript like this together It was somewhat of a steep learning curve for the editors so we appreciate your input Thanks must also go to Lynda Birke and Jonathan Balcombe for agreeing to write the Preface and Concluding Remarks, respectively Final thanks are also due to Chris Pearce from Liquid Nature who generously provided the photo- graphs for the cover xii preface list of contributors xiii LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS Nik Taylor (editor) received her Ph D in Sociology from Manchester Metropolitan University in 1999 where she addressed the sociology of human-animal interaction She argued that sociology could, and should, take account of human-animal interactions in a thesis enti- tled ‘Human-Animal Relations: A Sociological Respecification’ Now a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Flinders University, Dr Taylor cur- rently researches human-animal interactions and is an Associate Editor of Society & Animals and an editorial board member of Anthrozoos, Sociology, and Sociological Research Online. She has pub- lished numerous articles on human-animal relations and is currently working on a book concerning animal identity and work Tania Signal (editor) Tania received her DPhil from Waikato University (New Zealand) studying within the Animal Behaviour & Welfare Research Centre She is currently a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Central Queensland University (CQU) Her research interest is human-animal studies, in particular, the human animal violence connection from a psycho- logical perspective She is an associate editor for Society & Animals and regularly reviews for Anthrozoos Peter Beatson Peter Beatson has doctorates in English literature from Cambridge University (1974) and in sociology from the University of Provence (1978) Formerly an associate professor of sociology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand, he is now retired, but remains an honorary research fellow at that institution In the past, his two major areas of academic and personal interest were literature and the arts on the one hand, disability on the other However, in 2005 he co-founded an inter-disciplinary undergraduate course at Massey University on animals and human society to which he still contributes Although a comparative newcomer to the field of human-animal studies, he has developed a strong passion, both intel- lectual and humanitarian, for the subject He feels his major poten- tial contribution at this stage is the devising of an over-arching xiv list of contributors analytical framework for the study of human-animal interactions—a heuristic model that can be applied across historical, cultural and disciplinary boundaries This is the subject of his chapter in the pres- ent book His other nascent interest is in the representation of ani- mals in world literature, with a particular focus for the moment on the depiction of animals in the fiction of the New Zealand writer Maurice Gee, about whom Peter is writing a book Lisa Kemmerer Lisa Kemmerer earned a BA in International Studies from Reed College, a Masters in Theology from Harvard Divinity School, and a PhD in Philosophy from University of Glasgow, Scotland She has taught philosophy and religion courses in Alaska, Washington, and Scotland, and currently teaches at Montana State University, Billings Lisa’s reviews and articles have been published in journals, maga- zines, and newspapers; she has written, directed, and produced two documentaries on Buddhism, and has most recently completed a book on ethics and animals titled In Search of Consistency (Brill Academic, 2005) Mary Murray Born in England of Irish parentage and ancestry, Mary came to New Zealand in 1991 Before coming to Massey she taught at universities in England, Scotland and Ireland She has researched and published in the areas of historical sociology and feminist theory, including a book for Routledge, The Law of the Father (1995) Her research and teaching interest now lie in the areas of sociology of death and dying, emotions, sociological and feminist theory, sociology of dreams, and the relationship between humans and animals She is currently work- ing on a book to be published with MacMillian on the sociology of death and dying Claire Molloy Dr Molloy is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Media at Edge Hill University Her PhD, ‘Discourses of anthropomorphism’, was a critical history of anthropomorphism since the eighteenth century She has published on the subjects of anthropomorphism and the relationship between animals and national identity and is the guest editor for a special edition of the journal Diegesis on the subject of list of contributors xv anthropomorphism in 2008 Her book Memento was published in 2010 by Edinburgh University Press Gavin Kendall Gavin Kendall is Professor of Sociology at Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia His books include The State, Democracy and Globalization (Palgrave, 2004, with Roger King), Understanding Culture (Sage, 2001, with Gary Wickham) and Using Foucault’s Methods (Sage, 1999, with Gary Wickham) His latest book, The Sociology of Cosmopolitanism (with Zlatko Skrbis and Ian Woodward), will be published by Palgrave He is on the editorial advisory boards of the journals New Zealand Sociology, Foucault Studies and Athenea Digital. Gregory S. Szarycz Greg Szarycz holds a PhD from the