The Political Turn in Animal Ethics
Published on 23. September 2016
Book
Paperback/Softback
226 pages
978-1-78348-725-7 (ISBN)
Description
The debate about our treatment of nonhuman animals has been traditionally dominated by moral philosophers, and the crucially important role of politics has been hitherto neglected. This innovative edited collection seeks to redress the imbalance by interrogating some vital questions about this so-called 'political turn' in animal ethics.. The questions tackled include: What can political philosophy tell us about our moral obligations to animals? Should the boundaries of the demos be expanded to allow for the inclusion of animals? What kind of political system is most appropriate for the protection of animals? Does the protection of animals require limits to democracy, as in constitutional devices, or a usurping of democracy, as in direct action? What can the work of political scientists tell us about the governance of animal welfare? Leading scholars in the field explain how engaging with politics, in its empirical and normative guises, can throw much needed light on the question of how we treat animals, and how we ought to treat them.
Reviews / Votes
This excellent volume highlights the arrival of a 'political turn' in theorizing about human-nonhuman relations, with contributions that discuss state power, democratic contestation, regulatory processes, and social movement strategy. These wide-ranging and fascinating essays not only enrich our understanding of animal ethics, but also challenge us to rethink political theory from the ground up in full recognition that we inhabit more-than-human societies and polities. Garner and O'Sullivan's volume is a superb place to start to explore both the political turn in animal ethics, and the animal turn in political theory. -- Sue Donaldson, Queen's University, Canada The volume addresses a question that has been unduly side-lined in Western political theory: How to include nonhuman animals in our political structures in a manner that acknowledges their mental capacities and moral value? It provides fresh and well-developed perspectives, brought forward by some of the brightest thinkers in the field, and is thus a highly valuable source for anyone interested in human-nonhuman politics. -- Elisa Aaltola, Collegium Research Fellow, Turku Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Turku This much-needed collection offers useful entry points into key debates in animal politics - e.g. must property in animals be abolished? do animals need to be citizens to be represented? - but more than this, it suggests how to think and act in more textured ways about the hard work of achieving justice for nonhuman animals. -- Stefan Dolgert, associate professor, political science, Brock UniversityMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
Professional and scholarly
US School Grade: From College Junior to College Graduate Student
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
374 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78348-725-7 (9781783487257)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Robert Garner is Professor of Politics at the University of Leicester.
Siobhan O'Sullivan is Lecturer in Social Policy at the University of New South Wales, Australia.
Contributors:
Peter Chen, Senior Lecturer in Government and International Relations, University of Sydney; Alasdair Cochrane, Senior Lecturer in Political Theory, University of Sheffield; Steve Cooke, University Teacher in Theory and Animal Rights, University of Sheffield; Dan Lyons, CEO, Centre for Animals and Social Justice; Tony Milligan, Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Hertfordshire; Lucy Parry, Graduate Student, University of Sheffield; Friederike Schmitz, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Humboldt University Berlin; Kimberley Smith, Professor of Environmental Studies and Political Science, Carleton College
Siobhan O'Sullivan is Lecturer in Social Policy at the University of New South Wales, Australia.
Contributors:
Peter Chen, Senior Lecturer in Government and International Relations, University of Sydney; Alasdair Cochrane, Senior Lecturer in Political Theory, University of Sheffield; Steve Cooke, University Teacher in Theory and Animal Rights, University of Sheffield; Dan Lyons, CEO, Centre for Animals and Social Justice; Tony Milligan, Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Hertfordshire; Lucy Parry, Graduate Student, University of Sheffield; Friederike Schmitz, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Humboldt University Berlin; Kimberley Smith, Professor of Environmental Studies and Political Science, Carleton College
Content
1. Introduction / 2. Labour Rights for Animals, Alasdair Cochrane / 3. Animal Ethics and Human Institutions: Integrating Animals into Political Theory, Friederike Schmitz / 4. Animals and the Politics of Equity, Siobhan O'Sullivan / 5. A Public Philosophy for the Liberal Animal Welfare State, Kimberly Smith / 6. Putting Pluralism First, Tony Milligan / 7. Animals, Politics and Democracy, Robert Garner / 8. Deliberative Democracy and Animals: not so strange bedfellows, Lucy Parry / 9. Understanding Animal Liberation, Steve Cooke / 10. Animal Welfare Policy in Australia: Pace, Race, and Shelf-space, Peter Chen / 11. Animal Protection in the UK: From Symbolic Politics to Democratic Representation, Dan Lyons / Bibliography / Index