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The post-human turn and critical reassessment of the Anthropocene (e.g. Singer, 1975, Gruen, 2011, 2015, Haraway, 2016, Cudworth and Hobden, 2018, Braidotti, 2019) have promoted the development of Human Animal Studies, Critical Animal Studies, and the field of Ecocriticism in North American Studies in Germany (Gersdorf 2019, Mauch 2019, Moss, 2020, Tischleder 2019, Zapf 2021 et al.) for the last decade(s). In the Anthropocene / Capitalocene, humanity's impact has put quite a stress on various ecosystems and structural human animal interrelations characterized by contact, cohabitation, conflict, opposition, consumption, and pandemics. For example, human citizens share their lives with companion animals, are entertained by multimedia animal representations, accept “absent” animals as commodities in a highly industrialized meat market sector, and are repeatedly confronted with forms of animal - human transmitted diseases.
In addition, the strategy of dehumanizing othering is a tactic of human exceptionalism to establish superiority and obtain power over the Other (human or non-human). Thus, Human Animal Studies and Critical Animal Studies intersect with (Post-)Colonial Studies, Settler Colonial Studies, Feminist Studies, and Gender Studies when focusing on issues of Othering through hegemonic perceptions and supremacist constructions by employing cultural categories such as class, gender, race/ethnicity, abledness, and species.
This seminar discusses North American cultural productions thematizing human animal interrelations in a multispecies world. Questions will be tackled as how the selected works produce a status quo, offer alternative modes of multispecies co-existence, or how these narratives propagate or eschew post-humanist /post-anthropocentric thinking. Be prepared for strong imagery during some sessions.
Information regarding course requirements and schedule will be provided for registered students during the first session. All seminar texts will be provided on Moodle. Please register for this seminar via AGNES.
Dr. Amina Grunewald: amina.grunewald@hu-berlin.de |
