The animal challenge to sociology

57Citations
Citations of this article
64Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

Abstract

In this article, we ask why is it that sociology has been slow to take up the animal challenge, and ask what would happen if it did. We argue that sociology’s fraught relationship with biology, its assumptions about human exceptionalism and its emergence in the context of industrialization and urbanization are key to understanding its lack of attention to animals and contribute to a limited conceptualization of society. This can be remedied by viewing non-human animals as involuntarily embedded in social relationships, a move which involves a redefinition of the social and of what it means to be human; a revision of notions of agency, subjectivity and reflexivity; and a rejection of the speciesism and anthropocentrism on which sociology is based. Finally, the article contends that a full understanding of society is not possible if we continue to direct the sociology gaze only at humans.

References Powered by Scopus

Posthumanist performativity: Toward an understanding of how matter comes to matter

4663Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

What is agency?

4209Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Structure, agency and the internal conversation

1876Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Cited by Powered by Scopus

Climate change and society

187Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Making the invisibles visible: Including animals in sustainability (and) accounting

36Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Towards a critical psychology of human–animal relations

17Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Carter, B., & Charles, N. (2018). The animal challenge to sociology. European Journal of Social Theory, 21(1), 79–97. https://doi.org/10.1177/1368431016681305

Readers over time

‘17‘18‘19‘20‘21‘22‘23‘24‘250481216

Readers' Seniority

Tooltip

PhD / Post grad / Masters / Doc 27

71%

Researcher 5

13%

Professor / Associate Prof. 3

8%

Lecturer / Post doc 3

8%

Readers' Discipline

Tooltip

Social Sciences 29

78%

Environmental Science 3

8%

Business, Management and Accounting 3

8%

Medicine and Dentistry 2

5%

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free
0