Laëtitia Maréchal & Emile van der Zee
Abstract
The research area of human-animal interaction is relatively new and based on multiple disciplines. This means that the terminology used in this area is sometimes confusing. This chapter clarifies some of the terminological pitfalls, as well as provides some perspectives to study the human-animal interaction area critically and constructively. This chapter also highlights some areas that need attention when working or studying in this field (ethics, and cultural as well as gender and species biases), and it is argues that it is not possible to study human-animal interaction in isolation from a shared environment.
Reading recommendations
Alves, R. R. N., & de Albuquerque, U. P. (Eds.). (2017). Ethnozoology: Animals in our lives. Academic Press.
DeMello, M. (2012). Animals and society: An introduction to human-animal studies. Columbia University Press.
Govorushko, S. (2018). Human-insect interactions. CRC Press.
Herzog, H. (2010). Some we love, some we hate, some we eat: Why it’s so hard to think straight about animals. HarperCollins.
Hosey, G., & Melfi, V. (2018). Anthrozoology: Human-animal interactions in domesticated and wild animals. Oxford University Press.
Knight, J. (2020). Animals in person: Cultural perspectives on human-animal intimacies. Routledge.
Web resources and Presentation recommendations
Dr Michelle Rodrigues blog on decolonization: link here
Defining Anthrozoology with Anthony Podberscek – ASI’s Defining Human-Animal Studies: link here
Defining Anthropocentrism with Helen Kopnina – ASI’s Defining Human-Animal Studies: link here
Defining Zoocentrism with Alison Hanlon — ASI’s Defining Human-Animal Studies: link here
Research ethics the basics: link here
Animal welfare and scientific quality depend on the 3Rs: link here
Activity
Using the academic wheel of Privilege (Elsherif et al., 2022), reflect on how this might affect your academic career (past, present, future), as well as how this might influence your research. For example, how this might influence participant recruitment, designing your research questions/interest…
