Control

Controlling animals is central to "civilization". So the story goes. But how much control do humans actually have? And how civilized are the ways we control animals? Industrial food production involves many forms of controlling animals that previously would have been unthinkable. These methods are justified by the stories we tell about civilization. This book takes as its starting point the exhibition Control: Attempting to Tame the World at the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo. In this exhibition, the objects displayed are engaged as material witnesses and storytellers from various worlds, times, and ways of thinking. This volume expands the interventions that Control makes regarding our foundational stories of human-animal relations. The chapters are written by academics drawing upon diverse experiences and various forms of knowledge about relations between species. The book includes examples from around the world and from earlier historical contexts in which animals can be seen as controlling human practices and beliefs. There are also plenty of examples of living together more respectfully, or in more intimate collaborative engagements. Extending the work of the exhibition, this book serves as a catalog while also drawing attention to what lies between and beyond the objects, such as power, controversy, and often discomfort. Through such means, in the face of global environmental and social challenges, the book ultimately offers opportunities for reflecting upon alternatives for the future.