Talking Animals, Law and Philosophy: 'An Animal History of Zoos'

Violette Pouillard (Postdoctoral Fellow, African Studies Centre, University of Oxford)

Animals have for a long time been excluded from the historiography concerning zoos, a fact which could appear paradoxical for institutions whose essence is based on their exhibition, if it were not for their marginalization from most historical narratives. It is only recently that historians of animals have purposefully integrated animals as individuals into historical narratives, thereby considering them for what they are, i.e. sentient, suffering and acting beings. In line with the recent animal turn, this contribution will focus on human-animal dynamics at London Zoo, founded in 1828 and one of the oldest zoos in Europe, which was and has remained a renowned institution in the keeping of wild animals, despite its urban and physically limited localisation. It will examine the condition of primates and devote particular attention to their social and physical environment in captivity as an indirect way of understanding how they experienced the zoo. The presentation will focus specifically on the twentieth century, a critical period in the official narratives, as zoos were then trying to implement, in a decolonializing context, an ethical and conservationist turn. Addressing this history from below will demonstrate that captivity cannot be separated from a commodification of wildlife which appears contradictory to these ambitions.

For further information, please contact Raffael Fasel (rnf22@cam.ac.uk).