Animal Histories and US Environments in Crisis: A Roundtable

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Abstract

This roundtable panel interrogates the history of animal disposability and its ideological twin in American history, human exceptionalism—the anthropocentric myth that people could unsustainably harm animals and their habitats without harming themselves.

The roundtable features researchers whose work appears in "Bellwether Histories: Animals, Humans, and US Environments in Crisis," edited by Susan Nance and Jennifer Marks (Univ. of WA Press, 2023). Panelists will talk briefly about their work to explore a moment in transnational American history (ranging from the colonial era to the US occupation of Iraq) revealing how animals have been ensnared in untenable situations that spoke to more systemic human and environmental problems produced by colonization and American political, military, and economic power. As a group, we will ask how human decisions—and by which humans—created and perpetuated untenable and unequal interspecies relationships. We will invite the audience to think about how and why people misunderstood or ignored animal crises precipitated by habitat destruction and population declines, sudden dependence on human aid, shifts from freedom to captivity, or subjection to overextended management systems, even while others—Indigenous Peoples, animal advocates, scientists, and other whistleblowers—called for a change of course.

Case studies address the Atlantic world, Chicago, Wyoming, Montana, Iowa, New York, and US-Occupied Iraq to examine case studies concerning mules, horses, elk, cattle, zoo hippopotami, meat hogs, zoo tigers and lions.

updating application on July 15: *Please note that Jessica Wang is a presenter here but has also been included in another proposal as a Commenter.

Sub Unit

• ASEH Annual Conference

Chair

• Jeremy Zallen, Lafayette College

Moderator

• Susan Nance, University of Guelph

Presenters

• Joshua Abram Kercsmar, Unity Environmental University

• Jennifer Marks, University of Iowa

• Jessica Wang, University of British Columbia

• Andrea Ringer, Tennessee State University

• Mary Trachsel, University of Iowa

• John Matthew Kinder, Oklahoma State University