Zoei Sutton

Flinders University of South Australia, College of Business, Government and Law, Faculty Member

Flinders University of South Australia, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Department Member

The University of Adelaide, Professions, Faculty Member

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Conference Presentations by Zoei Sutton

Choreographing Human-Animal Companion Relationships:Structure, Discourse and Agency

Companion animals have been linked to many benefits for humans— from better health outcomes to so... more Companion animals have been linked to many benefits for humans— from better health outcomes to social lubrication, and a constant source of unconditional love: valuable in a world otherwise known for fragile social bonds. However human-animal companion relationships are also extremely complex. Erica Fudge argues that our relationships with companion animals rest on dual (contradictory) narratives that 1) humans have a ‘natural mastery’ over other animals, and thus it is the companion animal’s instinct to submit to human dominance; and 2) companion animals love humans and want to be ‘owned’. The former assumes that there is a natural (rather than social) legitimisation of pet ownership and the inherent power inequality that goes with it, but raises the question, if pets don’t love us, why do we love them? The latter places what Yi Fu Tuan calls a ‘veil of affection’ between humans and the domination inherent in pet ownership, ignoring the exploitation of breeding and coercion of training techniques, instead painting the relationship as mutually chosen and enjoyed by all parties. Existing research does not fully encapsulate all that goes into creating and maintaining these complex relationships and tends towards privileging the human participants’ voices. This presentation will provide an overview of the doctoral research project ‘Choreographing Human-Animal Companion Relationships: Structure, Discourse and Agency’, which draws on qualitative, in-home interviews with humans and their animals to highlight and explore the complexity of human-companion animal relationships. Findings indicate that creating space for meaningful inclusion of non-human animals results in valuable insight into the human-companion animal interactions, as these are able to be observed, uncovering new areas such as hierarchy between pet-species in the household.

Taking a Species-Inclusive Approach to Human-Companion Animal Relationships

Australia has one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world, with over 63% of households... more Australia has one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world, with over 63% of households including at least one species of companion animal. Most sociological research around companion animals has been dog focussed, excluding non-canine species from the picture of human-companion animal relationships. is raises the question as to whether including non- canine pets in research on the human-companion animal bond challenges existing ideas around pet ownership. is question was tested through in-home interviews with humans and their companion animals, which facilitated the inclusion of non-canine participants. Results showed that looking at ‘other’ species of companion animals uncovered hierarchies of species in the home and di ering levels of attachment and perceived agency. If ideas around the base level of respect with which we must treat our most vulnerable are built around the assumption that all human-pet relationships are canine focussed, the discovery of the lesser status of ‘other’ pet species calls into question the ethics of pet-keeping and the adequacy of our underlying assumptions around pet-keeping.

"Can Your Pet Come Too?" Qualitative Research with Companion Animals

Making Sense of the Animal-Human Bond Conference

Companion animals are typically excluded or marginalised when research around human- companion an... more Companion animals are typically excluded or marginalised when research around human- companion animal relationships focuses on human interviews and language based methods. This paper investigates how owners negotiate their relationships with their companion animals, and what happens when visual and observation methods are employed to include non-human animals in research. This was done through qualitative in- home interviews with animals present. Findings indicate that this more species-inclusive approach resulted in richer responses as humans were able to think ‘through’ their companion animals, as well as valuable insight into the human-companion animal interactions as these were able to be observed with all parties present. Attempts to more meaningfully include non-human animals are important and necessary if problematic power relations are to be challenged.

Keywords: qualitative research, human-companion animal relationships, sociology, pet ownership

Papers by Zoei Sutton

Researching towards a critically posthumanist future: on the political "doing" of critical research for companion animal liberation

Researching towards a critically posthumanist future: on the political "doing" of critical research for companion animal liberation, 2020

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to make a case for the political use of methods to shape pos... more Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to make a case for the political use of methods to shape posthumanist futures that are for animals. It makes this case by drawing on findings from qualitative research on the lived experience of navigating human-pet relationships. Design/methodology/approach-The argument in this paper draws on qualitative data from interviews and observations with human participants and "their" companion animals to demonstrate that centring animals in research highlights new data and encourages participants to challenge anthropocentric narratives of pet relationships. Findings-The findings of this project indicate that using animal-inclusive research methods is effective in centring non-human animals in discussions and providing new insights into human-animal relations that can inform and move towards critical posthumanist futures. Research limitations/implications-If the central argument that methods play an important role in shaping social worlds is accepted then human-animal studies scholars may need to think more carefully about how they design, conduct and frame research with non-human animals. Practical implications-If the argument for centring companion animals in research is taken seriously, then those working with humans and companion animals in the community might significantly alter their methods to more meaningfully engage with non-human animals' experiences. Originality/value-Current research has concerned itself with the challenge of how to understand animals' experiences through research. There has been little consideration of how multi-species research reflects and shapes social worlds and how methods might be considered a fruitful site of transforming relations and pursuing posthumanist futures.

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A sociology of multi-species relations

Journal of Sociology, 2018

For an Emancipatory Animal Sociology

Journal of Sociology, 2018

Sociologists have contributed to the development of the animal studies field in recent decades. H... more Sociologists have contributed to the development of the animal studies field in recent decades. However, many of these ventures have been anthropocentric, stopping short of sociological calls for animal liberation despite the fact that critical sociological concepts are often the (unspoken) antecedents of such work. Here, we present a systematic review of peer-reviewed sociological articles on human–animal relationships since 1979. Our analysis identified key themes supporting charges of anthropocentrism, but also aspects of politicised animal sociology. Based on this we call for sociological animal studies to incorporate a specifically Emancipatory Animal Sociology: an approach grounded in a social justice and emancipatory praxis that explicitly and critically engages with the material conditions of animals’ lives, taking into account the experiences and knowledge of activists and others working directly with animals and, where possible, centres the animals themselves.