Following the Animals: Connecting Animal, Health, and Colonial Histories

Online Workshop, University of Liverpool, 28th April 2023

Streets are lively more-than-human spaces. Dogs, cats, monkeys, rats, cows, and pigeons are amongst those animals who share streets with humans. In different places and at different times, animals are variously welcomed, tolerated, or prohibited from streets. Street animals raise a host of questions around urban life and public health, as well as who belongs and who deserves care in urban environments. They are sometimes framed as evidence of healthy urban environments and sometimes as obstacles to urban health. Their presence on the street also invites us to consider animal agency, autonomy, and mobility. This interdisciplinary workshop explored the relationship between animals, streets, and health.