Animals were harmed in the making of this research: the makings of human-animal relation in hunting

People in the Global North are alienated from the meat they consume, as industrial animal production obscures the processes that transform animals into meat. However, meat can also be acquired through hunting. In hunting, the life and death of an animal are tangible; this provides unique opportunities to explore the human-animal relations embedded in modern food systems. Social representations theory is applied as the principal theoretical framework. This research asks how are game animals socially represented by hunters in Finland? It is argued that social representations form the basis of hunters’ human-animal relations and governs their beliefs, practices, and orientation towards animals. Two complementary methodological approaches – participant observation and in-depth interviews – were used to answer the research question. The research identified two social representations among the hunters: one that others the animal, and the other that subjectifies it. These two representations allow hunters to address critical questions about food of animal origin both while hunting and in their everyday urban lives as consumers. The co-occurrence of these social representations indicates cognitive polyphasia, enabling hunters to maintain a coherent worldview regarding human-animal relations should conflicts arise.