Charles, Nickie (2016) Post-human families? Dog-human relations in the domestic sphere. Sociological Research Online, 21 (3). 8. doi:10.5153/sro.3975 ISSN 1360-7804.

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Abstract

In this article I explore the ways in which dogs and other companion species become family members and engage with the argument that this indicates the emergence of post-human families. Using empirical data from responses to a Mass Observation directive on Animals and Humans and in-depth interviews with people who share their homes with companion animals, I explore the ways in which humans and dogs live with each other and the 'daily practices of kinship' which constitute them as kin. I argue that practices of kinship blur the species barrier but that human-dog relations take place in the context of unequal power relations which are an inevitable consequence of dogs' incorporation into families as dependents. I conclude that while it may be possible to identify post-human practices in multi-species households, they exist alongside practices which reinforce the human-animal boundary and that, given the unequal relations of entanglement within which humans and animals interact, attempts to identify empirically a post-human family seem problematic. What can be said, however, is that a post-human approach to kinship practices highlights the porousness of the category human and alerts us both to the deep connections between humans and other animals and to the profoundly unequal ways in which animals are incorporated into social relations with humans.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	Q Science > QL Zoology S Agriculture > SF Animal culture
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Sociology
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Human-animal relationships, Dogs, Pets
Journal or Publication Title:	Sociological Research Online
Publisher:	Sage Publications Ltd.
ISSN:	1360-7804
Official Date:	31 August 2016
Dates:	Date Event 31 August 2016 Published 7 June 2016 Accepted 18 March 2016 Submitted
Volume:	21
Number:	3
Article Number:	8
DOI:	10.5153/sro.3975
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Restricted or Subscription Access
Date of first compliant deposit:	10 October 2016
Date of first compliant Open Access:	10 October 2016

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