Difference between revisions of "Companion Species"

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===Definition===
 
===Definition===
[[Donna Haraway]] uses "the term "companion species" neither to scold or edify, but as a kind of interrogative term for this sort of historical emergent of animals who are not meat animals, are not lab animals, are not wilderness animals, not war dogs, not vermin, not pariah dogs, but who are part of a very particular historical relationship. This is not "dog" and "man".<ref>[http://www.egs.edu/faculty/donna-haraway/articles/birth-of-the-kennel/ Birth of the Kennel: A Lecture by Donna Haraway] August 2000.</ref>
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The concept of companion species was first brought to into use by cyborg scholar [[Donna Haraway]]. She used the term as an exploration into the historical emergence of animals who are not meat animals, lab animals, wilderness animals, war dogs, vermin or pariah dogs, but who are part of a very particular historical relationship.<ref>Haraway, Donna. Birth of the Kennel: A Lecture by Donna Haraway. August 2000. http://www.egs.edu/faculty/donna-haraway/articles/birth-of-the-kennel/ Accessed Jun 2010.</ref>
  
===Discussion===
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In her Companion Species Manifesto, Haraway considers "dogs as the most significant example of companion species, the cyborg being but a toddler in our world of inter-species relations".<ref>Boulanger, Julie. Bookslut Review of the The Companion Species Manifesto by Donna Haraway. Nonfiction. Published May 2004. Accessed Oct 2011. http://www.bookslut.com/nonfiction/2004_05_002059.php</ref>
"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 more than 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.
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"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".<ref>http://www.upress.umn.edu/Books/H/haraway_when.html</ref>
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Cell phones, for example, could be considered a companion species. They cry, and must be picked up. They must be plugged into a wall at night to be fed. They must be upgraded, protected, and cared for. In return, they provide information, connectivity and entertainment. They grow alongside humans and adapt to fit their needs, as humans adapt to fit the needs of the device.  
 
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===Related Reading===
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*[[Donna Haraway]]
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*[[Companion Species Manifesto]]
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== References ==
 
== References ==
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Latest revision as of 20:33, 28 November 2011

Companion-species-maggie-nichols.jpg

Definition

The concept of companion species was first brought to into use by cyborg scholar Donna Haraway. She used the term as an exploration into the historical emergence of animals who are not meat animals, lab animals, wilderness animals, war dogs, vermin or pariah dogs, but who are part of a very particular historical relationship.[1]

In her Companion Species Manifesto, Haraway considers "dogs as the most significant example of companion species, the cyborg being but a toddler in our world of inter-species relations".[2]

Cell phones, for example, could be considered a companion species. They cry, and must be picked up. They must be plugged into a wall at night to be fed. They must be upgraded, protected, and cared for. In return, they provide information, connectivity and entertainment. They grow alongside humans and adapt to fit their needs, as humans adapt to fit the needs of the device.

References

  1. Haraway, Donna. Birth of the Kennel: A Lecture by Donna Haraway. August 2000. http://www.egs.edu/faculty/donna-haraway/articles/birth-of-the-kennel/ Accessed Jun 2010.
  2. Boulanger, Julie. Bookslut Review of the The Companion Species Manifesto by Donna Haraway. Nonfiction. Published May 2004. Accessed Oct 2011. http://www.bookslut.com/nonfiction/2004_05_002059.php