Week 2- Animals in the Social World Flashcards
How does the social world construct our interactions with animals?
Actors (individuals, communities, states, organizations, etc) create economic inequality, attitudes/perceptions, culture, consumption, and over-population which all impact our relationship with animals.
What is Human-Animal Studies?
The study of human animals and non-human animals (their interaction and bond).
HAS focuses on this aspect of human-animal relationships:
How animals are perceived, understood, and treated in our society.
What are 5 social forces that shape human-animal interaction?
Economic forces, factory farming, cultural taboos, symbolism, political forces.
What is anthropomorphism?
When we project human qualities onto animals, often on pets.
What are two ethical concerns regarding animals as a food source?
- taboos and moral considerations regarding eating certain animals. 2. the mass scale of modern farming.
What are three concerns with modern fur farming?
- large scale, 2. methods used to raise animals, 3. potential spread of disease
What four factors influence how animals are used in lab settings?
Cultural perception of an animal, ethical concerns, scientific methodology, and political/economic forces through funding.
What are the 3 R’s?
Replacement (using methods that don’t involve animals), Reduction (methods that lead to fewer animals suffering), Refinement (modifications to the method that minimize suffering/improve wellbeing, or use a less sentient animal).
How have animal roles in labour shifted?
We are less reliant on physical labour from animals, and now use them for emotional and disability support.
How can animals reflect human culture?
In entertainment, the way we use animals reflects our values, power dynamics, and relationships with the natural world.
Should we maintain endangered species in zoos?
Panda conservation in zoos has had success, but the use of zoo animals for entertainment could perpetuate a power dynamic where animals are subservient to humans.
What is the newest sphere of human-animal interaction?
Virtual interaction through documentaries, movies, and videos.
How have boundaries between humans and wild animals blurred? And how has this impacted animals and humans?
- shrinking wild spaces, 2. human encounters with animals in wild spaces (hiking, hunting etc). This has impacted human attitudes toward animals (ie. appreciation or fear) and created potential for conflict.
What is the methodological problem with HAS?
It is difficult to know how an animal perceives a human.
What is kinesthetic empathy?
Attempting to understand the feelings/perception of an animal by empathizing with it’s bodily experience.
What are the three theoretical paradigms of HAS?
Symbolic interactionism, functionalism, and conflict theory.
What is symbolic interactionism?
A theory that focuses on meaning making, social construction, and communication through symbols to understand human behaviour and relationships.
What is functionalism?
Sees society as a system of interacting parts. Therefore, human-animal interactions can maintain social order or lead to social problems (dysfunction).
What is conflict theory?
Focuses on social inequalities, power struggles, and competition for resources.
What does the rainbow bridge concept tell us about our perception of animals?
It demonstrates how we view certain animals as worthy of an afterlife where we will meet them and others are not. It offers us comfort because the animals we love (pets) will be there, but we feel no need to meet all the animals we ate after death.
How do we differentiate treatment for the same species in different contexts (ie. lab rabit vs. pet rabit vs. eating rabit vs. wild rabit)?
We have different expectations for animal treatment based on where they live and what their intended use is.
What are three systems for classifying animals?
- biological (genus, species,, etc.), 2. Christian theology (God, then humans, then animals ranked by food chain), 3. sociozoologic scale (ranking based on their benefit to humans).
