Fostering an inclusive multispecies social pedagogy: rethinking ethical human–animal relations in art

In their chapter ‘Critical Animal Pedagogies’, scholars Karen Dinker and Helen Pedersen argue that a learning society is based on a continual process of self-improvement through work and education. However, this process depends on the concept of a binary division among beings, such as humans and animals, that operates on the principles of inclusion and exclusion, which must be reassessed. The discipline of art pedagogy embodies these binary principles by perpetuating a closed system of knowledge that is anthropocentric in nature. Animals are traditionally diminished to the status of metaphors or symbols rather than being perceived as active participants in human society. This impacts our comprehension of human–animal relationships that influence socio-emotional well-being. Art has the unique ability to capture a representation of human–animal relations and re-imagining the way that animals are understood can offer new insights into multispecies partnerships and the development of social-emotional skills. This article ethically rethinks the representation of human–animal relations in art by integrating insights from social pedagogy and ethics of care theory to challenge speciesist notions of social inclusion/exclusion in traditional art education. It also employs resonance theory as a theoretical framework to think with non-human animal subjects. This approach transforms animals into active social participants and collaborators whereby art serves as a catalyst for reflexive thinking about social inequalities and injustices. Embracing multispecies transhistorical relationships can deepen our comprehension of the social benefits of human–animal relations.