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Critical policy studies in dialogue with multispecies perspectives: should it become a more-than-human endeavor?

S. van Bommel

Published 2024 in Critical Policy Studies

ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT This forum contribution aims to start a conversation about how multispecies perspectives can broaden the scope of critical policy studies. By addressing three key questions – who speaks, whom do we speak for, and how do we speak for those who are silenced – it examines the power dynamics, ethical considerations, and representational challenges in advocating for nonhuman entities in governance. I discuss frameworks that recognize the rights and agency of nonhuman entities, such as animals, ecosystems, and rivers, with a particular focus on epistemic justice and the inclusion of Indigenous cosmologies that acknowledge the interconnectedness of humans and nonhumans. I also consider the methodological and ethical challenges, including issues of power, representation and informed consent, and explore alternative approaches such as multispecies ethnography to better include nonhuman perspectives. I conclude with three key strategies that can broaden the scope of critical policy studies: making visible silences concerning nonhuman entities in policy; rethinking representation of nonhuman entities in policy; and overcoming silences in representation by adopting reflexive, inclusive methodologies that account for nonhuman interests in policy.

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