Anthropomorphism and entangled empathy in an animal sanctuary from digital ethnography

Abstract

Anthropomorphisms, understood as part of the processes of interpretation and approach to animal otherness, are present in the diversity of relationships we establish with other species. Therefore, it requires a situated understanding of how these anthropomorphisms are expressed and their implications. Empathy also involves interpreting the internal states of the other and is often mentioned in antispeciesist contexts where ruptures and reconfigurations occur in the ways of perceiving and relating to other animals. From an ethnographic research perspective, I will approach the complexity of these processes by following the experiences and narratives generated in an antispeciesist animal sanctuary. The Instagram account of the sanctuary is taken as the central thread of the analysis, a key communication space in its objective to make visible the animals living there, inform about their problems, and promote other forms of coexistence.

Keywords:
anthropomorphism; empathy; antispeciesism; animal sanctuary