Beyond Law’s Anthropocentrism : A Sociolegal Reflection on Animal Law and the More-Than-Human Turn

• In recent decades, modern (Western) law’s anthropocentric nature has been increasingly questioned from at least two contemporary scholarly fields: ‘science and technology’ and ‘nature and animal rights’. In this paper, we intend to explore the potential for the discipline of sociology of law to contribute to the ongoing discussion in animal-focused legal scholarship on the need for a more-than-human perspective on law. At first glance, there is no evidence that such a potential exists. However, Irus Braverman, professor of law at the University at Buffalo, argues that there is indeed a need for more-than-human legalities and that socio-legal scholarship could greatly benefit from a serious consideration of non-human. The challenge of such a shift should not be underestimated. Traditionally, the discipline of sociology has been as human-centred as the discipline of law. A commonly used definition of sociology as a scientific discipline is that it represents the study of human behaviour and societies. Thus, taking a turn towards a non-anthropocentric approach to law would be somewhat of a paradigm shift, including for the sociology of law. 

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Juridik -- Juridik och samhälle (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Law -- Law and Society (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Animal Law

Animal Rights

Animal Welfare

Law

Sociology of Law

Socio-legal

Sociolegal

Anthropocentrism

More-Than-Human

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