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Peer reviewed papers
2023
 Arabian feline (Felis silvestris catus) lives: Insights into abandonment2023 - This paper explores feline (Felis silvestris catus) - human (Homo sapiens) relationships in Saudi Arabia through the lens of cat abandonment. Although sections of Saudi Arabian society care for, love, and accept cats as treasured family members, cats’ lives are also commonly viewed as insignificant, freely traded as commodities. When the cat-human bond breaks, cats are often discarded onto the streets without consequences for the abandoner. |  Nothing More than ‘Anti-Cull Activists’: Accusations of Bias and the Politics of Research that Advoc2023 - This paper explores the ethical quandary faced by researchers whose work advocates for non-human animals and whose results conflict with prevalent anthropocentric societal narratives. To problematise the concept of research bias, we qualitatively analyse contemporary political debates surrounding the treatment of animals to ascertain if, how, when, and by whom research can be conducted with scientific integrity whilst advocating for more ethical treatment of other animals. |
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2022
 Uncivilized Behaviors: How Humans Wield “Feral” to Assert Power (and Control) over Other Species2022 - This paper examines the use of the term “feral” as a form of control over other animals. The concept of this “power word” is explored within the context of what it means for those who find themselves labelled as such. As a prefix, “feral” is used by various interest groups to justify the treatment of subpopulations of species, particularly with regards to wildlife conservation. The “feral” label differentiates animals that are perceived as being out of place or out of control ... |  Domestication and domination: Human terminology as a tool for controlling otherthanhuman animal bodi2022 - The language of domestication enables humans to wield power over otherthanhuman animal lives. In some cases, being labelled “domesticated” ensures a life free of worry regarding food, water, and shelter. In others, “domestication” embodies a loss of agency, wildness, and potentially life. Companion animals such as cats find themselves at the center of debates regarding their freedom, reproductive agency, and even their status as domesticates. Others, such as captive elephants, are ... |  Members only? A posthuman view of otherthanhuman-animal immigrants across human-defined borders2022 - The movement of otherthanhuman-animals (henceforth OTHA) across human-defined borders are often categorised depending upon human-assigned categories such as ‘invasive’, ‘introduced’, ‘non-native’ or ‘migrating’. However, there is a paucity of literature categorising OTHAs, from a posthuman, anthrozoological view, as immigrants. This paper examines, through the dual lenses of posthumanism and anthrozoology, five scenarios for OTHA immigrants. First, how pigs became pawns in America’s .... |
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Conference Presentations
 Perspectives on cat (Felis silvestrus catus) Abandonment in Saudi ArabiaPresented on 4th October 2023 at the 2nd International Anthrozoology Conference (Hungary) - This presentation explores street-living feline welfare in Saudi Arabia. While many felines in Saudi Arabia are in human homes, a great number of cats live in the streets. This presentation frames the effects upon cats living and being abandoned on the streets, through the Five Animal Welfare Needs. |  Fishing for FamiliesPresented on 9 March 2023 at the EVAT conference. The act of fishing for nonhuman-animal bodies for entertainment is an accepted and popular part of humananimal recreational tourist activities.This paper discussed how the anthropocentric attitudes of human-animal families completely dismiss the trauma brought upon their nonhuman-animal targets. |  Collaborating for a less anthropocentric anthrozoologyPresented on 8 October 2022 at the PGR and ECR Conference for Sociology, Philosophy, Anthropology and Politics Collaboration and Empowerment, University of Exeter. Kris Hill, Jes Hooper, Sarah Oxley Heaney, Michelle Szydlowski, Thomas Aiello The relatively new academic discipline of anthrozoology adopts, adapts, and devises new methodological approaches to address questions concerning interactions between humans and other animals. |
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 Losing a Limb in a Candy ShopPresented on 29th April 2022 at the University of Exeter's MA Residential Conference. Shark watching is a global business. However, what happens when shark watching operators fail to consider individual shark protection in the process of making money and entertaining guests? |  The Ethics of Privacy in Anthrozoological InvestigationsPresented on 8 November 2021 at the ANIMAL/PRIVACY: Historical and Conceptual Approaches Conference. The Ethics of Privacy in Anthrozoological Investigations |  Do you know me? CATegorising Saudi Arabia's Abandoned Cats - Saudi Arabian Landscape of Feline Lives4 December 2021 at the Reframing Anthrozoology as Symbiotic Ethics (RASE) Conference. Much academic literature looks at domestic cats outside home environments through an anthropocentric lens, as objects categorised for human control purposes. This paper, in line with EASE aim iii attempts to consider the perspective of cats through their experiences as street-living cats. This article questions how human-constructed cat categories fail to consider cat biographies, personalities, agencies ... |
 Saudi Arabian Landscape of Feline Lives: Reducing Domestic Cat AbandonmentPresented at the InSPAration Conference on 21 October 2021. Saudi Arabian Landscape of Feline Lives: Reducing Abandonment of Domestic Cats (Felis Silvestris Catus) by Analysing Reasons for Relinquishment in Saudi Arabia |
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