What does it mean to understand animals as subaltern subjects? Engaging theorists such as Dinesh Wadiwel, Syl Ko, and Donna Haraway, this talk presents nonhuman animals as subjects lacking genuine political standing and rendered vulnerable to systemic domination. It considers the possibilities and limitations of extending Subaltern Studies, particularly its second wave, to nonhuman animals. Ultimately Dickstein proposes “subaltern” as a trans-species analytic for examining power, hierarchy, and resistance. In doing so, it critically engages posthumanist theories of entanglement and argues for a framework that keeps structures of domination and resistance at the center of how we understand animal liberation and broader struggles for social justice.

Bio: Jonathan Dickstein, Ph.D. is the Tirthankara Shreyansanath Endowed Assistant Professor of Jain and Vegan Studies at Arihanta Institute and Affiliated Assistant Professor of Religion at Claremont School of Theology. Jonathan specializes in South Asian religions, religion and ecology, critical animal studies, and comparative religious ethics. Jonathan has published in a wide array of interdisciplinary journals and edited volumes on topics such as animals and politics, yoga and diet, Jain veganism, and the ethic of nonviolence (ahiṃsa). Their work can be found in Politics and Animals, Philosophy East and West, Food Ethics, Capitalism Nature Socialism, and Religions.