Choice Reviews Online· 2013
Before the law: humans and other animals in a biopolitical frame
- 402citations
- 2013year
Short summary
Cary Wolfe's "Before the Law" bridges animal studies and biopolitics, arguing that the human-animal distinction is less critical than the biopolitical one: differentiating between 'killable' and 'murderable' animals, a distinction that applies to both humans and nonhumans.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Introduces a new interdisciplinary conversation between animal studies and biopolitics.
- Argues the biopolitical distinction between 'killable' and 'murderable' animals is more significant than the human-animal distinction.
- This killable/murderable distinction applies to both human and nonhuman animals.
- Helps explain differential treatment of animals, from high care to extreme exploitation.
- Engages with key thinkers in biopolitical thought to explore animal rights.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Animal studies and biopolitics are two of the most dynamic areas of interdisciplinary scholarship, but until now, they have had little to say to each other. Bringing these two emergent areas of thought into direct conversation in Before the Law, Cary Wolfe fosters a new discussion about the status of nonhuman animals and the shared plight of humans and animals under biopolitics. Wolfe argues that the human-animal distinction must be supplemented with the central distinction of biopolitics: the difference between those animals that are members of a community and those that are deemed killable but not murderable. From this understanding, we can begin to make sense of the fact that this distinction prevails within both the human and animal domains and address such difficult issues as why we afford some animals unprecedented levels of care and recognition while subjecting others to unparalleled forms of brutality and exploitation. Engaging with many major figures in biopolitical thought - from Heidegger, Arendt, and Foucault to Agamben, Roberto Esposito, and Derrida - Wolfe explores how biopolitics can help us understand both the ethical and political dimensions of the current questions surrounding the rights of animals.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Choice Reviews Online, 2013 · DOI ↗
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Field: Geography, Planning and Development
Geography, Planning and DevelopmentSocial Sciences