Rat-ical justice: Care at the interface of the human and the nonhuman
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Examensarbete för masterexamen
Master's Thesis
Master's Thesis
Model builders
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Abstract
Coincident with the development of human civilization
was the emergence of a new type of critter:
one not domesticated, not beloved, but similar to us
in so many aspects that they abound in our environments—
the urban rat. This urban critter burgeons
in numbers that we humans find threatening if not
overtly problematic. Ironically, this
“problem” is one of our own creation;
our actions are what have allowed
these critters to thrive. But instead of
assuming responsibility for inviting
them to the table, we blame them for
arriving at our doorstep and then poison their dinner.
Using the widespread mistreatment of rats as
an example, this thesis critiques the anthropocentric
worldview that enables the abuse of marginalized
individuals and absolves us of accountability for our
actions. It argues that a fundamental shift away from
this worldview is necessary in relearning how to exist
in a world of others. It also aims to propose ways
to initiate this shift toward respectful cohabitation
through the exploration of various social and spatial
facilitators. By utilizing four tactics—strategic anthropomorphism,
public engagement, the mapping of
heterotopias, and negotiation—this work explores
how practices of care can showcase the perspectives
of neglected nonhumans and facilitate respectful
cohabitation between rats and humans in an urban
environment.
The outcome of this thesis is a series of experiments
that address various aspects of our relationship
with urban rats. Key findings include a collection of
strategies for learning how to foster empathy for rats, efforts aimed at advocating for their rights as urban
inhabitants, and the showcasing of the homes they
make in our cities’ in-between spaces. Furthermore,
this thesis results in experimental negotiations that
imagine spaces that compromise rather than utilize
traditional means of control to enable respectful cohabitation
in the urban landscape. Rat-ical Justice shows
that empathy and care can, and indeed should, be
extended to every individual, human or nonhuman
Description
Keywords
rats, critical posthumanism, care, cohabitation, nonhuman rights