Reading to stretch the imagination : exploring representations of "livestock" in literary thought experiments

  • Liza B. Bauer looks at science fiction or speculative fiction writing - the literary genre par excellence for exploring alternative models of human-nonhuman coexistence. In her article "Reading to Stretch the Imagination: Exploring Representations of 'Livestock' in Literary Thought Experiments," she dissects processes of reciprocal negotiation between human and nonhuman beings in texts such as Sue Burke's "Semiosis" and Margaret Atwood's "Oryx and Crake" and "The Year of the Flood." Following Brian McHale's and Donna Haraway's credo that highly unlikely worlds encourage readers to critically reflect on current realities, Bauer addresses the following questions: What if chickens, cows, or pigs had the chance to exist for their own ends? What would happen if they could communicate in human language? Or if they were of superior intelligence? Would they subdue humankind, domesticate their co-inhabitants, or coexist harmoniously? By enacting these scenarios in literary storyworlds, SF proves to be particularly fertile ground, yielding insights into the current and future challenges of coexistence. As Bauer convincingly outlines, immersing ourselves in (science) fictional worlds to practice multispecies living does not seem too far removed from reality. The redistribution of animal agency shows that the passivity to which most livestock animals are condemned is not irrevocable. The well-being of both human and nonhuman animals will depend on whether it is possible to theoretically and practically broaden students' understanding of these entanglements. Since alternatives to animal commodification are thinkable in experimental SF storyworlds, they could constitute, Bauer argues, a significant step toward abolishing animal exploitation.

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Metadaten
Author:Liza B. BauerORCiDGND
URN:urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-689149
ISBN:978-3-95808-402-5
Parent Title (English):Multispecies futures : new approaches to teaching human-animal studies / Andreas Hübner, Micha Gerrit Philipp Edlich, Maria Moss (eds)
Publisher:Neofelis Verlag
Place of publication:Berlin
Document Type:Part of a Book
Language:English
Date of Publication (online):2022/07/22
Year of first Publication:2022
Publishing Institution:Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg
Release Date:2022/08/31
Tag:Mensch-Tier-Beziehung
GND Keyword:Tiere <Motiv>; Science-Fiction-Literatur; Mensch; Tiere
Page Number:19
First Page:95
Last Page:113
HeBIS-PPN:500135118
Dewey Decimal Classification:8 Literatur / 80 Literatur, Rhetorik, Literaturwissenschaft / 800 Literatur und Rhetorik
Sammlungen:CompaRe | Allgemeine und Vergleichende Literaturwissenschaft
CompaRe | Allgemeine und Vergleichende Literaturwissenschaft / Neofelis Verlag
Licence (German):License LogoCreative Commons - Namensnennung-Nicht kommerziell - Keine Bearbeitung 4.0