A critical reading of companion species on Instagram : ‘being-with’ and ‘becoming with’ dogs as (non)human others

dc.contributor.advisorDu Preez, Amanda
dc.contributor.emailkarli1@live.co.zaen_ZA
dc.contributor.postgraduateBrittz, Karli
dc.date.accessioned2020-02-10T08:34:58Z
dc.date.available2020-02-10T08:34:58Z
dc.date.created2020-04
dc.date.issued2020
dc.descriptionThesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2020.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractBased on Donna Haraway's concept of dogs as companion species, this study aims to critically examine the phenomenon of companion species as it manifests on social media by exploring the notion of humans being-with and becoming with dogs as their nonhuman others. Working through Haraway’s companion species and the nonhuman turn, I consider the relation between Haraway’s (2008) becoming with and German philosopher Martin Heidegger’s (1927) idea of being (Dasein) and being-with (Mitsein) others. By reading Haraway with Heidegger, I argue that nonhumanism is not a rupture from the human condition, but rather an expansion of what it means to be human with others in contemporary society. I show that although nonhumanism typically rejects Heidegger’s perceived anthropocentric approach to animals, Haraway’s nonhumanist becoming with shares and shows similarity to Heidegger’s being-with-others. Throughout my exploration of the phenomena of companion species, I maintain the position that in the midst of the nonhuman turn, we remain all too human by being-with nonhuman others, specifically in terms of human-dog companionship. In contemporary society the pivotal relationship of companion species notably manifests on social media when humans capture and share their relations with their dogs on various platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. In an added layer to the study, I argue that online images of the human-dog relation reflect and mediate the nature of being-with and becoming with nonhuman others. Through a digital and theoretical exploration of online companion species, I show how these images reflect the significance of human qualities within nonhuman relations, as well as what it means to be human with our nonhuman others in the Digital Age.en_ZA
dc.description.availabilityUnrestricteden_ZA
dc.description.degreePhDen_ZA
dc.description.departmentVisual Artsen_ZA
dc.description.sponsorshipNRF Grant-Holder-Linked Bursary 2016-2018en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationBrittz, K 2020, A critical reading of companion species on Instagram : ‘being-with’ and ‘becoming with’ dogs as (non)human others, PhD Thesis, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd <http://hdl.handle.net/2263/73162>en_ZA
dc.identifier.otherA2020en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/73162
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherUniversity of Pretoria
dc.rights© 2019 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.
dc.subjectUCTDen_ZA
dc.subjectAnimal Studiesen_ZA
dc.subjectDigital Culture and Mediaen_ZA
dc.subjectNonhumanismen_ZA
dc.subjectSocial Mediaen_ZA
dc.titleA critical reading of companion species on Instagram : ‘being-with’ and ‘becoming with’ dogs as (non)human othersen_ZA
dc.typeThesisen_ZA

Files

Original bundle

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Brittz_Chapter 1-3_2020.pdf
Size:
3.07 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Brittz_Chapter4-7_2020.pdf
Size:
32.08 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Brittz_Chapter 8-End_2020.pdf
Size:
13.45 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Brittz_Critical_2020.pdf
Size:
57.32 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Thesis

License bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.75 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description: