“But Where’s the Bloody Horse?”: Textuality and Corporeality in the “Animal Turn”

Abstract

In the last decade, “animal studies” has arisen in belated parallel to other counter-hegemonic disciplines. In order to discuss this new departure of considering animals in the humanities rather than solely the natural sciences, we use the case study of the horse. We discuss what the “animal turn” might mean in disciplinary terms. We show that there is a significant move towards embracing new subject matter, and concomitant new sources, in history writing in southern Africa. We argue, however, that it is difficult to label it a new “paradigm” as it remains largely in the social (or socio-environmental) history camp. Instead, it encompasses a continuing process of inclusion and measured mainstream acceptance of the animal as subject, object and even perhaps agent. The “animal turn” (and, indeed, “green social science”) is not founded on any one method or approach, instead it remains diverse in terms of its methodology and raison d'être, mirroring the multiplicity of its object of study. We discuss changes within socio-environmental history that might permit a transformed understanding of the horse as historical actor with the acceptance of the animal as subject, object and even agent – in short, how academics in the humanities might find the “bloody horse”.

Opsomming
“Dierestudies" het in die afgelope dekade in 'n vertraagde parallel met ander teen-hegemoniese dissiplines ontstaan. Ten einde hierdie nuwe wending te bespreek, naamlik om diere in die menswetenskappe eerder as uitsluitlik in die natuur-wetenskappe te bestudeer, gebruik ons die gevallestudie van die perd. Ons bespreek wat die "dierewending" moontlik mag beteken in dissiplinêre terme. Ons dui aan dat daar 'n beduidende beweging na die insluiting van nuwe onderwerpe, en gevolglik nuwe bronne, in geskiedskrywing in suider-Afrika is. Ons betoog egter dat dit moeilik is om hierdie beweging as 'n nuwe "paradigma" te beskryf, aangesien dit grootliks binne die kader van die sosiale (of sosio-omgewings-)geskiedenis bly. Dit behels veel eerder 'n voortdurende proses van insluiting en gematigde hoofstroom- aanvaarding van die dier as subjek, objek en moontlik selfs agent. Die "diere-wending" (en, inderdaad, "groen sosiale wetenskap") is nie gefundeer op enige enkele metode of benadering nie; dit bly divers wat betref metodologie en “raison d'être”, en weerspieël hiermee ook die veelheid van studieobjekte in hierdie veld. Ons bespreek veranderinge binne die sosio-omgewingsgeskiedenis wat 'n veranderde begrip van die perd as 'n historiese akteur, met inagneming van die dier as subjek, objek en selfs agent, mag moontlik maak – kortliks, hoe akademici in die menswetenskappe die "bloody horse" mag vind.