The Work Done By Animals: Identifying and Understanding Animals’ Work

Abstract

Coulter develops a multi-faceted framework for identifying and understanding the work done by animals, one which challenges conventional understandings, and moves beyond anthropocentric and androcentric emphases. Three organizational categories are presented for conceptualizing animals’ work: subsistence work, voluntary work, and work mandated by humans. These types are then further elucidated and analyzed through the interweaving of gendered labor process theories and feminist political economy. The relevance of the concepts of social reproduction and what Coulter calls ecosocial reproduction are explained, and she posits a continuum of suffering and enjoyment as integral for understanding animals’ work.