Beyond species, Within Relation Ethnographic Reflections on Multispecies. Relations in a Sanctuary for Liberated Animals

Abstract

This paper explores how a farm animal sanctuary in Italy embodies emerging forms of new relational ontologies. Following a philosophical and political overview of antispeciesism – and its intersections with anthropological literature and historical transformations – the paper seeks to deepen our understanding of what it means to live and relate in an antispeciesist way. Fieldwork was carried out through both observation and participation in the sanctuary’s daily practices, which are rooted in multispecies care and involve the reshaping and re-signification of spaces and knowledges concerning the human–animal relationship. The study offers a situated analysis of the ongoing processes of subjectivation within these spaces and reflects on how contemporary anthropological debates can engage with such practices to critically examine human–animal relations.