251. IDC 151- Animal Studies (2)
1. What is Animal Studies in Literature?
A:- Animal studies in literature, also known as animal studies or human-animal studies (HAS), is an interdisciplinary field that explores the relationships between humans and animals as represented in literary texts. This field emerged as a response to the growing recognition of the significance of animals in literature and culture, as well as the need to examine human-animal interactions from diverse perspectives. By analyzing the portrayal of animals in literary works, scholars aim to understand how these representations shape and reflect broader cultural attitudes towards animals, as well as the ethical implications of human-animal relationships.
At its core, animal studies in literature seeks to decenter the human perspective and give voice to non-human animals. It challenges anthropocentric biases by examining how animals are depicted in literature, considering their agency, subjectivity, and role in shaping narratives. Rather than viewing animals solely as symbols or allegorical figures, scholars in this field investigate their complex representations, acknowledging animals as sentient beings with their own experiences and perspectives.
One of the key areas of inquiry within animal studies in literature is the examination of animal characters and their functions within literary texts. Animals often serve as companions, guides, foils, or symbols in literature, reflecting and refracting human concerns, values, and conflicts. For example, in George Orwell's "Animal Farm," various farm animals represent different aspects of human society and politics, offering allegorical commentary on power dynamics and social injustice.
Moreover, animal studies scholars analyze the use of animal imagery and metaphors in literature to explore themes such as identity, otherness, and the boundaries between human and animal realms. By examining how authors employ animal symbolism, researchers uncover layers of meaning and cultural significance embedded within texts. For instance, in Franz Kafka's "Metamorphosis," the protagonist's transformation into a giant insect serves as a metaphor for alienation and existential crisis, prompting readers to reconsider the human-animal divide.
In addition to textual analysis, animal studies in literature often incorporates insights from other disciplines, including philosophy, environmental studies, anthropology, and cognitive science. This interdisciplinary approach allows scholars to address complex questions about human-animal relationships from multiple angles, considering ethical, ecological, and historical dimensions. For instance, researchers might draw on animal behavior studies to better understand the motivations and behaviors of animal characters in literature, illuminating the ways in which these representations both reflect and challenge prevailing scientific understandings of animal cognition and behavior.
Furthermore, animal studies in literature examines the cultural and historical contexts in which literary works were produced, recognizing that attitudes towards animals vary across different societies and time periods. By tracing the evolution of animal representations in literature, scholars gain insights into changing attitudes towards animals and shifts in human-animal relationships over time. For example, the Romantic period saw a surge of interest in nature and animals, with writers like William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge celebrating the sublime beauty and inherent worth of the natural world.
In recent years, animal studies in literature has expanded to include discussions of animal ethics, animal rights, and eco-criticism, reflecting broader societal concerns about environmental sustainability and animal welfare. Scholars in this field engage with contemporary debates surrounding animal captivity, exploitation, and extinction, considering how literature can inspire empathy, advocacy, and social change. By examining the ways in which literature shapes our understanding of animals and influences our ethical responsibilities towards them, animal studies scholars contribute to ongoing conversations about human-animal coexistence and the future of life on Earth.
In conclusion, animal studies in literature is a rich and dynamic field that explores the multifaceted relationships between humans and animals as represented in literary texts. By examining animal characters, imagery, and metaphors, scholars shed light on the cultural, historical, and ethical dimensions of human-animal interactions, challenging anthropocentric biases and fostering greater awareness of the diverse perspectives and experiences of non-human animals. Through interdisciplinary inquiry and critical analysis, animal studies in literature offers valuable insights into the complexities of our shared world and our responsibilities towards its inhabitants.
2. What is the history behind Animal Studies?
A:- Animal studies became popular in the 1970s as an interdisciplinary subject, animal studies exists at the intersection of a number of different fields of study such as journals and books series, etc. Different fields began to turn to animals as an important topic at different times and for various reasons, and these separate disciplinary histories shape how scholars approach animal studies. Historically, the field of environmental history has encouraged attention to animals.
Throughout Western history, humankind has put itself above the "nonhuman species." In part, animal studies developed out of the animal liberation movement and was grounded in ethical questions about co-existence with other species: whether it is moral to eat animals, to do scientific research on animals for human benefit, and so on. Take rats, for example, with a history of being used as “an experimental subject, feeder, and “pest.” However, fewer than 10% of research studies on animals result in new medical findings for human patients. This has led researchers to find new Non-animal Approach Methodologies (NAMs) that provide more accurate human reactions. Animal studies scholars who explore the field from an ethical perspective frequently cite Australian philosopher Peter Singer's 1975 work, Animal Liberation, as a founding document in animal studies. Singer's work followed Jeremy Bentham's by trying to expand utilitarian questions about pleasure and pain beyond humans to other sentient creatures. Overall, progress happens slowly, but the marginal voices help introduce new concepts and ethics that can eventually transform society's relationship with other species.
Some still believe that the primary purpose of animal interaction is solely for food. However, animal domestication created a new intimate bond between human and non-human, and changed the way that humans live their lives. Theorists interested in the role of animals in literature, culture, and Continental philosophy also consider the late work of Jacques Derrida a driving force behind the rise of interest in animal studies in the humanities. Derrida's final lecture series, "The Animal That Therefore I Am", examined how interactions with animal life affect human attempts to define humanity and the self through language. Taking up Derrida's deconstruction and extending it to other cultural territory, Cary Wolfe published Animal Rites in 2003 and critiqued earlier animal rights philosophers such as Peter Singer and Thomas Regan. Wolfe's study points out an insidious humanism at play in their philosophies and others. Recently also the Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben published a book on the question of the animal: The Open. Man and Animal.