Native American Studies Meets Animal Studies: Linda Hogan’s The Radiant Lives of Animals and the Problem of Anthropomorphism

The aim of this article is to offer a theoretical framework derived from animal studies to read The Radiant Lives of Animals by Chickasaw writer Linda Hogan. While Hogan's insights into nonhuman animals' lives are sensitive and insightful, they may seem anthropomorphic. To illuminate the rationale behind Hogan's choice of imagery, I propose to read The Radiant Lives through the work of Vinciane Despret's concept of anthropo-zoo-genesis. Despret's concept is relevant for Hogan's work as she is, in the same way, genuinely interested in the interactions of bodies, the embodied character of life.