Multispecies Justice

This special issue seeks to reconceptualize justice to include beings beyond the human realm, imagining how existing political institutions can be formed and transformed to respond to and afford justice in the lives, relations, and socialities of other-than-human beings. The authors argue that this institutional shift would disrupt uneven fields of identity-based power, inequality, marginalization, and privilege and foster practices of living together in ways that are hospitable to a broader range of subjects. Essays cover topics such as the subterranean estrangement of stygofauna, slaughterhouses and factory farms, anticolonial conceptions of justice, critical plant studies, ecofeminism, and Indigenous cosmopolitics.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 175 pages
Publication date: 10 October 2023
Publisher: Duke University Press

In this special issue, scholars explore the concept of justice beyond the human realm, employing a multispecies lens and an anticolonial framework. They envision how existing political institutions can be reshaped to accommodate and provide justice to nonhuman beings. The authors argue that this institutional shift would disrupt power imbalances based on identity, promote equality, and reduce marginalization and privilege. It would also foster practices of living together in harmony, recognizing the interconnectedness of all beings.

The essays in this collection cover diverse topics such as the subterranean isolation of stygofauna, the ethical implications of slaughterhouses and factory farms, anticolonial conceptions of justice, critical plant studies, ecofeminism, and Indigenous cosmopolitics. The authors draw from a wide range of fields, including cultural theory, anthropology, political theory, philosophy, art, history of science, queer/feminist theory, law, and conservation science.

Through their interdisciplinary approach, the contributors to this issue challenge traditional notions of justice and advocate for a more inclusive and sustainable world. They highlight the importance of recognizing the rights and dignity of all beings and working towards a future where human and nonhuman societies can thrive together.

ISBN-13: 9781478024651