How Can Anyone be More than One Thing?

Abstract

Abstract In this chapter, we ruminate the consequences of trying to reposition our ways of encountering our multispecies neighbours. We see such encounters as generative, forming the potential for new kinds of solidarity, both human and non-human. In particular, we argue that some of the ways to see, sense, or understand our neighbours produce significant tensions, which are important for three reasons: 1) They foreground the political qualities of ‘partial perspectives’; 2) They reveal asymmetries in the capacity to use technology to recognise others; and 3) They suggest parallels between the challenges of sensing non-human ‘others’ and the challenges of recognising difference within human relations. In an era of climate change, ecological instability, and fragmented human relationships, we reflect here on the kinds of connections that we might model through our encounters with animal ‘others’ in the smart city and consider how to shift relationships of knowledge and practice towards liberation.