Selection of books

When species meet

Donna J. Haraway

abstract

In 2006, about 69 million U.S. households had pets, giving homes to around 73.9 million dogs, 90.5 million cats, and 16.6 million birds, and spending over $38 billion dollars on companion animals. As never before in history, our pets are truly members of the family. But the notion of "companion species"-knotted from human beings, animals and other organisms, landscapes, and technologies-includes much more than "companion animals."

In "When Species Meet", Donna J. Haraway digs into this larger phenomenon to contemplate the interactions of humans with many kinds of critters, especially with those called domestic. At the heart of the book are her experiences in agility training with her dogs Cayenne and Roland, but Haraway's vision here also encompasses wolves, chickens, cats, baboons, sheep, microorganisms, and whales wearing video cameras. From designer pets to lab animals to trained therapy dogs, she deftly explores philosophical, cultural, and biological aspects of animal-human encounters.

In this deeply personal yet intellectually groundbreaking work, Haraway develops the idea of companion species, those who meet and break bread together but not without some indigestion. "A great deal is at stake in such meetings," she writes, "and outcomes are not guaranteed. There is no assured happy or unhappy ending-socially, ecologically, or scientifically. There is only the chance for getting on together with some grace."

Ultimately, she finds that respect, curiosity, and knowledge spring from animal-human associations and work powerfully against ideas about human exceptionalism.



keywords

animal habit&behaviour, animal-human relationship, companion species, cyberfeminism



catalogue card

Title: When species meet
Author: Donna J. Haraway
Publication: Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, cop. 2008
Matèries: man and animals
ISBN: 978-0-8166-5045-3, 0-8166-5045-4



index





 
Open summary, issue 6 (2008)

Open summary (iss. 6, 2008)

editorial

Towards a global, knowledge-based economy: the effects of ICT on employment

in-depth


Open research – the ORS way, by Miltiadis Lytras and Miguel-Ángel Sicilia. Presentation by Julià Minguillón

dossier

ICT and work: towards new organisational systems, new salary and employment structures, and new mechanisms for intermediation, coordinated by Joan Torrent

Electronic skill-biased technological change (e-SBTC), employment and salaries: the state of the question, by Joan Torrent

Networked organisation of work: an empirical approach for Catalan businesses, by Pilar Ficapal-Cusí

Salary gaps in the knowledge economy: an empirical analysis for Spain, by Ángel Díaz-Chao

Who looks for work on the internet?, by Elena González-Rodrigo and Jorge Sainz-Gonzalez

miscellany

How do people work in a multilingual virtual classroom? A multilingual learning environment using Moodle and Apertium, by Antoni Oliver and Cristina Borrell

Digital literacy as a factor for social inclusion: a critical perspective, by José Luis Travieso and Jordi Planella

reviews

Feminismo y Conocimiento. De la experiencia de las mujeres al cíborg, by Carme Adán. by M. Antònia Huertas

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