Wildlife rhetoric: colonization, commodification or interspecies collaboration?

Abstract

Research into wildlife rhetoric in sub-Saharan Africa has led to the supposition that wildlife representation in contemporary visual culture resides in media representation and wildlife tourist industries rather than in the fine arts. Tourist industries contribute, to a large extent, to what constitutes the notion of wilderness and wild animals. This paper argues that cinematic and photographic technologies and colonial views on animals are sometimes organically conjoined in a complex network binding together and governing the way these discourses mutually affect each other. Contemporary discourse in animal studies challenges reductionism and anthropological views held on animals: central to the ethical debate surrounding animals and animal representation is the acknowledgement of a choice to be made between either dominion or stewardship of the animal.

RETORIEK INSAKE WILD: KOLONIALISME, KOMMODIFIKASIE OF INTERSPECIES KOLLABORASIE? Navorsing insake die retoriek betreffende wilde diere in Afrika besuide die Sahara, toon dat die representasie van wilde diere binne die visuele kultuur te vinde is in media-uitbeelding, asook in die natuurlewe toeriste-bedryf eerder as in die skone kunste. Die toeriste-bedryf dra tot 'n groot mate by tot die die idee van wildernis en wilde diere. Hierdie referaat stel dit dat film en fotografie tegnologie tesame met kolonialisme tot groot mate die diskoerse in verband met wildernis en wilde diere reguleer. Kontemporere sieninge in die veld van dierestudies bevraagteken reduksionere en antropologiese sieninge oor die dier, instede word die keuses voorgestel tussen dominasie en oorsig.