Animal Resistance in the Global Capitalist Era

The Animal Turn

by Sarat Colling

The concept of animal resistance is now reaching a wide audience across the social media landscape. Animal Resistance in the Global Capitalist Era offers an overview of how animals resist human orderings in the context of capitalism, domestication, and colonization. Exploring this understudied phenomenon, this book is attentive to both the standpoints of animal resisters and the ways they are represented in human society. Together, these lenses provide insight into how animals’ resistance disrupts the dominant paradigm of human exceptionalism and the distancing strategies of enterprises that exploit animals for profit. Animals have been relegated to the margins by human spatial and ideological orderings, but they are also the subjects of their own struggle, located at the center of their liberation movement. Well-researched and accessible, with over fifty images that aid in understanding both the experiences of and responses to animals who resist, Animal Resistance in the Global Capitalist Era is an important contribution to scholarship on animals and society. The text will appeal to a broad audience interested in the relationships between humans and the other animals with whom we share this planet.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, History, Science, Philosophy

201 pages, Hardcover

Published December 1, 2020

Reviews

[Corvus · Rating 5 out of 5]

My attention is immediately drawn to any discussion of animal resistance against oppression. It seems to be a woefully neglected area of discussion, even within the varying human-organized movements that exist to act on behalf of and in solidarity with other animals. Even the furthest left, most radical animal activists often still refer to other species as voiceless, innocent, monolithic victims that need saving rather than participants in their own stories of liberation. Sarat Colling's  "Animal Resistance in the Global Capitalist Era" is a scholarly work that tackles the topic of animal agency and resistance head on and with style. Having read a lot of academic works on this subject, I can say that not only is Colling's work well researched, theorized, and informative, it is also entertaining and offers a glimpse of hope even among such dire circumstances. The fantastic use of images throughout the book of everything from memorial statues of escaped and liberated animals to paintings that have been done of them over the centuries exposed me to many things I never knew existed. They also complemented the text very well as part of making this book more than simply a hardback printing of someone's graduate thesis.

Critiquing the idea of "voiceless" animals right off the bat, Colling states, "...by recognizing animals' embodied and political voices, we acknowledge their subjectivity and remain open to the possibility of their participation in and impact on social and political realms." However, Colling goes much further than "remaining open" to the idea and uses a long history and a variety of analyses to drive these points home. There is also a decent amount of groundwork for these ideas in her critiques of other flaws in the ways humans think about other animals such as how people fetishize wildlife when it suits them, then turn on a dime and attack rewilded animals or wildlife in general when it does not. Many people support wildlife protection solely for the reason that they want to continue exploiting said species. Many of these people also see animals who have escaped imprisonment and exploitation with fear and annoyance, often expecting someone to kill/recapture them, or decry any sort of sanctuary for animals as "wasteful." They do not blame those who put the animals in the situation to begin with, only the animals for daring to escape said situation and being a nuisance. I am sure one can imagine how we use this line of thinking against other humans as well. Colling also discusses the divides between humans and domesticated animals humans often see as objects vs those they see as individuals. An example would be their love of a family dog or cheering for an escaped cow that makes the news before sitting down to eat the flesh of another cow killed at the same slaughterhouse.

I used to write regularly about animal agency and resistance among other topics in the very unprestigious form of an old personal blog that was not good enough to warrant archiving. As a result, I had a ton of google alerts set up to tell me every time animal escapes and other forms of resistance were reported on or written about online. Back then, the internet was not used as much as it is now for reporting, yet I still got multiple alerts every day- so many that I needed to get them in digest form so as not to be completely overwhelmed. On top of the general reports, any time I saw someone writing about animal resistance analytically, I devoured what they had written. Any time I found a book connecting the struggles of humans to that of other animals in ways that fostered solidarity, intersectionality, and/or collective liberation- depending on how you define and relate to those words- I did my best to get my hands on it. Colling does reference a lot of these books and authors (Jason Hribal, Jeffrey St Clair, Aph Ko, Pattrice Jones, Carol Adams, and many many others) in her work, which is not to say it was redundant. Much of it was a good refresher as well as an excellent organization of decades of information put into one space. What I had not realized though is just how far back extensive discussions of animal resistance had gone and how far reaching the implications were. So, while this book does tie everything together in relationship to the "global capitalist era," Colling also provides a lot of history outside this in quite a small space. That is to say, this book is well edited and efficient allowing one to gain a lot from its somewhat short length.

What Colling also brings to the table for me is a strengthening of the idea that resistance matters. The world can often feel defeating, especially when we stay around long enough to see how much oppression manages to change shape every time liberation makes an advancement. The author manages to acknowledge the growth of many industries that terrorize, exploit, and slaughter animals (due to everything from population growth to globalized capitalism) while also making the convincing case that the great many kinds of resistance and struggle that other animals enact against their own oppression are indeed effective and far reaching. The publicized escape of a circus elephant like Tyke manages to change the law, awaken many people to the plight of circus animals, cause people to see animal performers as individuals, and many other longer lasting impacts. Colling describes how one woman credited the escape of Emily the cow from a slaughterhouse
with her own decision to finally leave an abusive relationship. The self-liberation of a cow or chicken from a slaughterhouse truck or kill line can wake up an entire city or country to the idea that the animal is an individual with not only a desire to live and be free of suffering, but bravery, resistance, planning, thoughtfulness, and luck depending on the eventual outcome of their scenarios. (These range from happy endings like sanctuary living and the radicalization of many animal advocates or horrific ones like long fights legally and financially with animal exploiters that will do everything they can to secure animals' place as property and to take their lives even if they can't even profit from the individual anymore.) Even the animals unfortunately fall into the latter category, their action often inspires change for others in their plight. Colling's expansive analysis shows that every bit of resistance can put a dent in the armor of oppression and supremacy, especially if the news of that resistance is far reaching- much like any sort of activism or action taken on behalf of the liberation of self and/or others.

The book also includes indepth discussions over the centuries of how different forms of liberation have intersected with one another either intentionally or not. It's a common line from animal industry PR executives that animals who resist or escape are simply confused or "psychotic," (an ableist intersection Colling also discusses in depth.) This becomes far more difficult for them to get away with when one is informed of a great many instances where animals not only broke themselves out of enclosures, but also traveled to other enclosures both within and outside their own species in order the liberate other animals. Though not mentioned in the book, it seems relevant to include that even in the oppressive and deadly realm of captive animal laboratories, rats will forego certain rewards and advantages in order to free another rat from imprisonment. These sort of things happen all over the place where animals are held captive. On the other side of the coin, sanctuaries show how many interspecies friendships come to be when animals are given a safer and more secure place to do something more than hang on to survive. It is not only humans who befriend other animals or cats and dogs that befriend one another, animals all over the spectrum have created relationships from friendship to organizational and arguably tactical relationships. Colling shows how often they show direct, well thought out, measured, and planned actions for their and others liberation rather than being limited to some sort of cartesian reaction that zoo, circus, animal agribusiness, and other industry reps would like you to believe. We also know that not only do humans help other animals, other animals both in the wild and of interdependent domesticated species have made the decision to help humans. This is especially intense to think about when we remember the power dynamic that often* has humans in the position of power, especially in domestication scenarios.

*I struggled to decide whether to say "often," "usually," or some other word here instead of "always" in order to leave room for scenarios such as that of colonization via conservation orgs who commit genocide of indigenous people in order to "conserve" some species of wildlife, usually who are endangered because of non-indigenous people and colonization. Also, to include how some (usually white) people will elevate a the ethical status of a dog on instagram who they have never met above a Black person in their own damned neighborhood. There are quite possible ways to care about everyone involved, but those in power choose to pin oppressed groups against one another or use one oppressed group as a smokescreen or token in order to oppress another group.

Overall, this book does a good job of weaving collective liberation throughout its stories and analyses of animal resistance. Colling discusses colonialism, ableism, gendered oppression, racialization, and other dynamics that occur when humans interact with each other and with other animals. She makes connections between how colonialist borders have an intertwined and damaging effect on both marginalized humans and other animals. She discusses the gendered ways humans exploit and assign value to other animals. She discusses the racialization of humans using the exploitation and oppression of other animals as a vehicle and excuse to harm humans pushed into the category of other, while also forcing racialized humans to do the dirty work of abusing and killing animals (such as the traumatic and dangerous work of slaughter and "processing.") Tying these together, the author discusses the myriad of ways that capitalism strengthens existing oppression of humans and other animals, breeds new insidious forms of said oppression, and continuously allows all ill effects to grow and worsen over time while creating the illusion that forced participation in such oppression is consent.

On a personal level, I have to be very careful with books like this. In short, I have a pretty significant trauma history that my brain has not adapted well to in regards to what I have experienced regarding the exploitation, abuse and suffering of other animals (and humans.) I no longer watch undercover videos or read books and see documentaries that are long portrayals or descriptions of animal suffering. This puts me in a tough situation at times because sometimes brilliant assessments and critiques are couched within those texts and videos. I did take my time reading this book, and Colling does indeed give details of harrowing scenarios regarding other animals' suffering. However, there is something about the way she put it all together which made the book not only bearable, but empowering, inspiring, and offering a feeling of hope grounded in reality. Colling manages to avoid both the trap of "trauma porn" as well as the trap of false hope and misinformation. She manages to be unapologetic and direct about the agency and deserved liberation of other animals while also providing a sound framework for these ideas that even those not on board will have a difficult time ignoring if they actually engage with them. I coated the entire book with page flags and will undoubtedly come back to it for quotes, images, citations, and refreshers. This book is an excellent edition to the field of animal studies as well as to more general knowledge and activist applications.

This was also posted to my blog.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this as an audiobook. It starts off very strong but gets muddled in the middle. So many animal escapes are related that I couldn’t always tell if the author was making a new point or simply reiterating a previous one. If the latter, I didn’t need the repetition, I was already a sympathetic listener. I appreciated the discussion of how humans carve out space so BigAg can operate with little awareness of the nearby residents and use architecture to disrupt possible sites of solidarity. I also found the discussion of climate change fascinating, as it revealed the circle of misery that BigAg creates for farm animals. Though factory farming and widespread grazing contribute to climate change, those same animals bear the brunt of catastrophic weather. Something’s gotta change.

[Sara G · Rating 4 out of 5]

No le pongo el 10 porque a ratos se me hizo un poco repetitivo, y porque no coincido del todo con el enfoque que se le da a ciertos hechos. Pero es de lo más novedoso y estimulante que he leído en bastante tiempo en lo relativo a la situación (y la agencia) de los animales no humanos. Un muy buen trabajo documental.

[Ana Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy recomendable.
Utiliza historias de rebeldía o escapismo de animales para discutir sobre la explotación animal y los problemas asociados a esta.

[John Yunker · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the first chapter of Animal Resistance in the Global Capitalist Era, Sarat Colling tells the story of Emily, possibly the most famous cow to have escaped a slaughterhouse.

It was 1995 and Emily was being led to her death when she hopped over a five-foot high gate near the killing floor and disappeared into the New England woods. The daughter of the slaughterhouse owner gave Emily her name and she became a local celebrity as authorities searched for her; she eluded capture for 40 days and was ultimately adopted by Peace Abbey where she lived out her too-short life and where a statue of her now stands.

Colling writes: “In her act of resistance, Emily crossed both physical and conceptual borders. … She was no longer one of the ten billion animals sent to slaughterhouses in the United States each year, but an individual whose name and face was recognized.”

The book tells the stories of dozens of cows, sheep, pigs, chickens, whales and other species who, based on their heroic actions, are given names and histories by the people who bore witness to them. And it is these stories that have the power to wake up the world to the suffering of billions of animals who never have the opportunity to have their stories heard.

And while many of these stories end tragically, others end with animals finding their way to sanctuaries like Woodstock or Farm Sanctuary, sanctuaries that are playing a growing role in not only providing a haven for animals but a place where the public can learn the stories of these animals and see them as individuals.

Colling writes: “When animals who resist are witnessed, viewed as individuals, they can have the positive effect of inspiring people to live in closer alignment with their values.”

Animal resistance takes many forms, not only escapes, but acts of coming to the aid of other animals, or fighting back against the humans who hurt them. Tilikum the tragically imprisoned Sea World orca fought back time and again, killing three humans. And this from a species that has never killed a human in the wild. Animals don’t want to hurt humans; they simply want to be left alone. and this too is getting more difficult in world that has less open space in favor of space taken for animal agriculture.

Colling notes:

Since 1970, the Earth’s wildlife population has been cut in half, yet the farmed animal population has tripled. More farmed animals than human beings now inhabit this planet, with approximately 17 billion land animals alive at any given time.
Colling notes that animal resistance has much in common with human resistance, particularly the labor movement. The human working class are often the first in line to speak up for animals because they see themselves in the plight of these animals.

In the end, each act of resistance gives us a moment to resist in kind. To donate to a sanctuary. To speak up at a city council meeting. To attend a protest. To stop eating animals.

Collins writes about a bull named Frank, who escaped in 2016 from a slaughterhouse in New York City. The celebrity Jon Stewart stepped in to help Frank find a home at Farm Sanctuary.

In a video about Frank’s story, Steward remarks that because of the nature of Frank’s escape, “This time I paid attention.” When animals break free, we take notice. While animal farmers, researchers, auctioneers, hunters, breeders, and trainers have always known firsthand about animals’ revolts, the concept of animal resistance is reaching a wide audience in the twenty-first century digital mediascape.

Indeed. Here’s hoping this book helps other people sit up and pay attention.


PS: I should also mention that this book builds on another powerful book worth reading: Fear of the Animal Planet: The Hidden History of Animal Resistance by Jason Hribal.

NOTE: This book review first appeared on EcoLitBooks.com

[Noelia F.R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aunque no prestemos atención, quizá porque nos conviene, los animales oponen resistencia a la opresión a la que el ser humano les somete. Desde la violencia epistémica, pasando por técnicas de domesticación, manuales de entrenamiento para "desbravar" a los animales, aparatos de tortura que aseguren la dominación y el sometimiento, modificaciones corporales rutinarias (corte de pico, cuernos, hierros candentes, crotales en las orejas manipulación genética en la cría intensiva como forma de biopoder, a modo de mantener el estatus de propiedad, hasta la muerte.
Pese a todo, los animales han desarmado trampas, han guiado a sus compañeros hacia la libertad en forma de fugas colectivas, han agredido a sus amos, adiestradores y dueños, han sobrevivido en el bosque durante meses tras una fuga. Lo cierto es que tienen buenas razones para ello, dado que el sistema capitalista, la dominación humana y el estatus de propiedad los somete a condiciones de vida miserables, separación de sus seres queridos, rompe sus vínculos, se les niega la socialización con otros, se les condena a la soledad, al aburrimiento, al dolor, a la pérdida, al castigo físico. El sistema, contra los animales rebeldes, tiene técnicas psicológicas de manipulación para el observador, como el fetichismo de la mercancía o el concepto del peligro de los desconocidos, y castigos físicos y muerte para los desobedientes. Pero es importante subrayar que la dominación especista comparte la misma base que todas las opresiones basadas en jerarquías de oposición binarias, es por ello que el colonialismo, la maquinización de la clase obrera, y la deshumanización y cosificación de determinados colectivos tiene una fuerte conexión con el especismo.

Quiero celebrar la vida de los desobedientes, los fugados, los que desarman trampas, y la de los que no han tenido ninguna oportunidad. Por un mundo donde no existan las jaulas, ni las vallas electrificadas, ni de alambre de espino, ¡y que vivan los santuarios y las tierras salvajes!

[Camila Ausente · Rating 3 out of 5]

“La insurrección animal desarrolla una subjetividad y un contra-discurso que desafían el funcionamiento normalizado del poder. (…)si el sistema de la prisión genera al «prisionero» como forma de vida, un nuevo tipo de subjetividad que proviene de la disciplina y la vigilancia panóptica abre un espacio para la resistencia y la rebelión. Asimismo, si la ganadería intensiva da lugar a una forma de vida (es decir, el animal criado en granja, la denominada máquinabiológica, la carne ambulante) a partir de tácticas de normalización
existe la posibilidad de que se articule un contradiscurso cuando dicha carne se fuga y las ganas de vivir del animal pasan a un primer plano.”


La voluntad animal, seres con deseos y pulsiones propias y hacerlos protagonistas de sus propias historias de rebelión. Importantes preguntas sobre la empatía y los sistemas de producción industrial donde directamente se esconde la realidad de lo que implica el consumo de estos. (Desde la comida a la vestimenta).
Las relaciones con el capitalismo y la función que ha tenido la explotación animal para su expansión. Trasladable a todo el mundo no humano (bueno y humano también con poblaciones a las que se les etiquetó como “animales”), entenderlo todo como un recurso a explotar y como propiedad.
Por momentos descripciones de situaciones tan espeluznantemente terroríficas y dolorosas que no he podido, pero muy revelador de cómo “está todo ok” mientras no veamos o no sepamos lo que les estamos haciendo.
Horroroso.

Valoro mucho la existencia de este libro, aparte del finísimo mega necesario trabajo de Errata Naturae (los amo), pero en realidad siento que desarrolla pocas ideas en comparación con la cantidad de historias que cuenta.

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

--"En la actualidad, cuando los visitantes acuden al Pacifist Memorial para ver la estatua de Ghandi, al descubrir la de la célebre vaca se interesan por su historia." (Colling: 76)
--- "La explotación, el confinamiento, el pastoreo y la matanza de animales domésticos guardan relación con las primeras escisiones y la violencia en las tribus que condujo a la división de clases, a la extensión de la violencia y al aumento del capitalismo global y la colonización desde el siglo XVI." (Colling: 88)
--- "La ganadería también es responsable de al menos el dieciocho por ciento de las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero, más que el sector del transporte." (Colling: 113)
--- "Thus, the people of the Middle Ages, dismissed as primitives in many modernist quarters, were actually open to a truly radical idea: animal consciousness.” (Colling: xx)
--- "Desde el fenómeno de Tiburón, el miedo a estos peces ha aumentado cuando en realidad solo matan a una persona al año y suele deberse a algún tipo de confusión, ya que los buceadores con traje de neopreno se parecen a la presa natural de los tiburones: las focas." (Colling: 278)

This book explains how or why animals have resisted sacrifice or terrible working conditions. Most examples come from Western countries, which somehow makes the book restrictive. The first part sounded somehow repetitive to me, as most examples were of the same idea. This changes in the second and third part where there is more variety of topics/ideas. A beautiful and necessary book anyway.

N.B The book is originally written in English but I couldn't find any copy of it in English in any of the libraries available to me (except for the preview from Amazon, which I read).

[Mychael McNeeley · Rating 5 out of 5]

We often hear humans refer to other animals (as well as other humans) as “voiceless.” Many, especially “domesticated” animals are seen as near-objects with little will or power of their own, easily dominated and subjugated. Colling has written this important book as a collection of narratives in which various individual nonhuman animals fight against their own oppression. Colling rejects this "voiceless" claim and urges the reader to rethink the human/nonhuman animal bifurcation.

"To genuinely listen to animals' voices requires being mindful of (and trying to dissolve) the asymmetrical power structures in animal-human relationships." She asks us to decenter the human animal in our own minds.

Animal Rights advocates often fall under the same spells as the rest of society, and take on a savior mentality. Being a faithful ally to nonhumans requires that we continually let go of any presupposed superiority to them and that we work hard to understand their unique languages. Colling says, “Animals are communicating through their resistance.” Exploring the stories shared in this book is one step towards apprehending the ideal of “liberty and justice for all.”

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Animal rights activists often refer to animals as "the voiceless". While this classification is certainly accurate within a human framework, i.e., animals cannot protest with signs outside a slaughterhouse or campaign for protective legislation, author Sarat Colling offers a unique and rather poignant perspective, which is that animals actually do exercise their voice. They actively resist slaughter. They escape from peril and they fight to survive. It is a voice that is tragically ignored by most humans. This books provides an opportunity to sit up and take notice of animals' voices, their fight to survive, their will to live. In the end, we are all animals.
If you care at all about non-human animals on any level, this is highly recommended reading.

[Carmelo Valone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whenever it comes to what I true animal rights and nonhuman personhood movement, this book is important. What I really did not think was as important was the Capitolist parts. For me, in order to give animals more sentience, there are more laws protecting animals that try to convince every country on planet Earth that capitalism doesn't work when we all know that animals are exploited in all countries on this slowly heating up planet.

Let's all focus on sentience versus constantly begging for more tiny movements. Keep it about the nonhuman animals and not the humans.

[Santiago Enriquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro espectacular
Principalmente parece que solo te va a enseñar historias de esos animales indefensos que luchan contra el sistema en el que han caído pero no es solo eso, incita a la reflexión
¿Son los animales meros espectadores o también sufren y padecen por su situación en el mundo?
¿Es correcto que sigamos con los ojos cerrados mientras el sistema capitalista asfixia a los indefensos?
¿Que podemos hacer nosotros por ellos? Mucho más que simplemente compadecerlos...
Lectura obligada y que abre los ojos, tras leer esto tú visión del mundo verdaderamente cambia

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Important, powerful book with great (and countless) examples of animal resistance. Great angle of capitalism as shaper of human-animal relations and how animals (in the case of this book especially farm, circus and zoo animals) resist this, yet often goes unrecognized and downplayed. Also looks at some of the ways in which anti-capitalism resistance can (and must) be an interspecies effort. Would’ve appreciated more theory to back the argument, but overall a good book for a broad audience.

[Geertrui Cazaux · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone advocating for other animals!
Animals are not voiceless, they resist in so many different ways. This book, with numerous accounts of animals resisting, changes you perspective on animal liberation. We are not their saviours, but their allies in their fight against oppression.

[Lorena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Se hace un poco monótono con el tiempo y hay demasiados datos históricos que hacen que no se haga ameno fácilmente. Vale la pena si estás acostumbrado a leer ensayo histórico o social y no se te hace pesado.

[Asdrgil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tiene buenas ideas pero alarga en exceso el ensayo en algunas partes. Para mi gusto, hay capítulos en los que hay demasiados ejemplos casi idénticos que hacen la lectura un poco monótona.

[Óscar González · Rating 5 out of 5]

🌱

[Roberto Ferrero · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5*

[Roger Lucas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lectura ràpida. Amb moltes dades i històries reals, totes referenciades. Et fa reflexionar i replantejar-te la relació amb els animals des d’un altre punt de vista. He trobat a faltar proximitat perque tot estava contextualitzat a Estats Units.