The Animal Turn

Animals are increasingly at the forefront of research questions – Not as shadows to human stories, or as beings we want to understand biologically, or for purely our benefit – but as beings who have histories, stories, and geographies of their own. Each season is set around themes with each episode unpacking a particular animal turn concept and its significance therein. Join Claudia Hirtenfelder as she delves into some of the most important ideas emerging out of this recent turn in scholarship, thinking, and being.

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The Animal Turn

S1E8: Autonomy with Frédéric Côté-Boudreau

June 24, 2020 • Claudia Hirtenfelder • Season 1 • Episode 8

Claudia talks to Frédéric Côté-Boudreau about autonomy and how it relates to animals. They highlight some of the tensions with considering animals as beings who might want to make their own choices and touch on what this could mean for the law and the ways in which our societies are structured.

Date recorded: 11 June 2020

Guest: Frédéric is a philosophy scholar who earned his PhD at Queen’s University in 2019 with a thesis entitled Inclusive Autonomy: A Theory of Freedom for Everyone. He is based in Montréal, Canada, and regularly gives talks on speciesism, veganism, the citizenship approach to animal rights, disability rights, and the convergence between social justice and animal justice. He also co-founded the Québec’s Estivales de la question animale, a summer camp where academics and activists meet to discuss issues and strategies related to animal liberation. Find out more about him here.

Host: Claudia Hirtenfelder is a PhD Candidate in Geography and Planning at Queen’s University and is currently undertaking her own research project that looks at the historical relationships between animals and cities. Connect with her on Twitter (@ClaudiaFTowne).

Featured readings: Inclusive Autonomy: A Theory of Freedom for Everyone by Frédéric Côté-Boudreau ; Zoopolis: A Political Theory of Animal Rights by Sue Donaldson and Will Kymlicka; and The Secret Life of Cows by Rosamund Young.

Also check out: Botswana Beehive Fences

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Sponsored by Animals in Philosophy, Politics, Law and Ethics – A.P.P.L.E (Website)

Part of iROAR, an Animals Podcasting Network and the CFRC Podcast Network

A.P.P.L.E
Animals in Politics, Law, and Ethics researches how we live in interspecies societies and polities.

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The Animal Turn is hosted and produced by Claudia Hirtenfelder and is part of the iROAR Network. Learn more on our website.