Toward a Multisensorial Engagement With Animals

Abstract

This chapter intertwines the emerging fields of multisensory with multispecies ethnography and suggests that by moving beyond prevailing methodological praxis, there is a possibility of unraveling different forms of knotted entanglements with more than just humans. By paying attention not only to vision but to different forms of perception, such as hearing, touch, or movement, the chapter explores the production of innovative and exciting forms of inquiry to reach wider audiences beyond an academic few. A multisensorial, multispecies engagement promises to open new pathways in examining the dynamics of more-than-human relationalities and to expose the potential for interdisciplinary and collaborative engagements. An approach that involves a weaving of ethological and ethnographic techniques, drawing from natural history, while engaging with observational and experimental filmmaking, can shed light on new modes of knowledge-making while allowing us to rethink our interconnections with other animals into the future. Show more