The Animal Turn

We explore how Stranger Things signals a new monstrous moment, moving from unknowable creatures to human-made villains, and what that shift says about power, identity, and culture. Along the way, we ask how animals get coded as monsters and when their agency is reclaimed or removed in film and TV.Date Recorded: 22 April 2025 Featured: Tolerance Discourse and Young Adult Holocaust Literatureby Rachel Dean-Ruzicka Paranormal Maturation: Uncanny Teenagers and Canny Killers by Rachel Dean-Ruzicka Of Scrivens and Sparks: Girl Geniuses in Young Adult Dystopian Fiction by Rachel Dean-Ruzicka Monster Culture (Seven Theses) by Jeffrey Jerome CohenThe Monster Theory Reader by  Jeffrey Andrew WeinstockThe Angel of Indian Lake by  Stephen Graham JonesAnnihilation by Jeff VandermeerStranger ThingsCocaine BearMickey 17OkjaRandom Number Generator Horror Podcast No. 9Nature Trail to HellMonsters, Heroes, and Others: Unpacking Power in Media and Politics through Race or SpeciesA.P.P.L.EAnimals in Politics, Law, and Ethics researches how we live in interspecies societies and polities.iROAR NetworkiROAR brings together podcasts that aim is to make the world a better place for animals. Georgia Institute of Technology School of Modern Language, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, School of Literature, Media, & CommunPollination Project The Pollination Project empowers volunteers across by providing the funding they need. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the showThe Animal Turn is hosted and produced by Claudia Hirtenfelder and is part of the iROAR Network. Learn more on our website. Leave a Review on Podchaser Check out The Animal Turn Merch. Support us on Patreon, Buy Me a Coffee, and Buzzsprout.

Gina Song Lopez, researching vegan movements in Taiwan and China through the lens of local culture and social media, and Taylor Jobling, a law lecturer unpacking how Australia’s legislation categorises animals, come on to the show to discuss the main themes and tensions to emerge in Season 8, Animals and Media  Date Recorded: 8 December 2025Featured: What Comes After Entanglement by Eva GiraudThe Birth of Korean Cool by Euny HongThe Omnivore’s Deception by John SanbonmatsuAnimals and the Rights to Politics by Sue Donaldson and Will KymlickaAn analytical framework to understand the problematization of urban (historical) animals by Claudia HirtenfelderBlack Fish Finding Nemo FlowThe CoveCowspiracyEarthlingsA.P.P.L.EAnimals in Politics, Law, and Ethics researches how we live in interspecies societies and polities.iROAR NetworkiROAR brings together podcasts that aim is to make the world a better place for animals. Georgia Institute of Technology School of Modern Language, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, School of Literature, Media, & CommunPollination Project The Pollination Project empowers volunteers across by providing the funding they need. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the showThe Animal Turn is hosted and produced by Claudia Hirtenfelder and is part of the iROAR Network. Learn more on our website. Leave a Review on Podchaser Check out The Animal Turn Merch. Support us on Patreon, Buy Me a Coffee, and Buzzsprout.

In this episode we bring together a photojournalist from India, a Canadian columnist, and a political scientist/reporter to discuss animals and the news. We discuss different types of news as well as some of the challenges that come with creating news content that focuses on animals.    Date Recorded: 4 June 2025 Featured: How to Spot Misinformation and Bias About Climate and Food in the News by Jessica Scott-ReidMeatsplaining by Jason HannanFeed the People by Jan Dutkiewicz and Gabriel N. RosenbergMother Cow, Mother India by Yamini Narayanan Netflix’s Liver King  Doc skips the meat of the story by Jessica Scott-ReidAn animal rights activist was in court on criminal charges. Why was the case suddenly dismissed? On The GuardianSentient MediaFree WillyWe AnimalsFuture Perfect on VoxAnimal Rights on The New RepublicAnimals on The Guardian  Animals Rights Activism on The InterceptAnimals on WiredAnimals on New York TimesAnimal JusticeA.P.P.L.EAnimals in Politics, Law, and Ethics researches how we live in interspecies societies and polities.iROAR NetworkiROAR brings together podcasts that aim is to make the world a better place for animals. Georgia Institute of Technology School of Modern Language, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, School of Literature, Media, & CommunPollination Project The Pollination Project empowers volunteers across by providing the funding they need. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the showThe Animal Turn is hosted and produced by Claudia Hirtenfelder and is part of the iROAR Network. Learn more on our website. Leave a Review on Podchaser Check out The Animal Turn Merch. Support us on Patreon, Buy Me a Coffee, and Buzzsprout.

In this episode Ankita Rathour and Lynda Korimboccus join Claudia to discuss the interconnections of film, tv, and animals. Together they touch on everything from the Peppa Pig paradox in children’s media to the shifting role of animals in Hindi cinema, nationalism and caste politics. Date Recorded: 2 May 2025  Featured: The Subaltern Gazes: Commentary on Amit Masurkar's Sherni by Ankita Rathour.Pig-ignorant: The Peppa Pig Paradox. Investigating Contradictory Childhood Consumption by Lynda M KorimboccusAnimal representation on UK children’s television by Lynda M KorimboccusCan the Subaltern Speak by Gayatri Chakravorty SpivakFrom Symbolic to Agential: The Evolution of Natural Representation in Indian Eco-Sensitive Filmsby Rakesh Kumar Pankaj and Dibyakusum RayThe Dreaded Comparison: Human and Animal Slaveryby Spiegel, MarjorieHuman supremacism: why are animal rights activists still the “orphans of the left”?by Will KymlickaWhen different is ambivalence: Strategic ignorance about meat consumptionby Marleen C. Onwezen and Cor N. van der WeeleHumane Jobs: A Political Economic Vision for Interspecies Solidarity and Human–Animal Wellbeing by Kendra Coulter Advertising oppression: the reproduction of anthroparchy in UK children's and" family" television by Kate F. Stewart and Matthew ColeShooting an Elephant by George Orwell.Animal Farm by George Orwell.Mother Cow, Mother India by Yamini NarayananThe Sexual Politics of Meat by Carol J AdamsThe Desi Gaze, a podcast by Ankita Rathour.Tribe Animal Sanctuary Peppa PigRRR (Rise, Roar, Revolt)Tigress Sherni Alvin and the ChimpmunksHaathi Mere SaathiThe Elephant Whisperers Matilda and the Brace EscapeEarthlingsBlackfishWickedAzaadArticle 15War HorseBabeThe Last PigDeliverance (A.P.P.L.EAnimals in Politics, Law, and Ethics researches how we live in interspecies societies and polities.Georgia Institute of Technology School of Modern Language, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, School of Literature, Media, & CommuniROAR NetworkiROAR brings together podcasts that aim is to make the world a better place for animals. Pollination Project The Pollination Project empowers volunteers across by providing the funding they need. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the showThe Animal Turn is hosted and produced by Claudia Hirtenfelder and is part of the iROAR Network. Learn more on our website. Leave a Review on Podchaser Check out The Animal Turn Merch. Support us on Patreon, Buy Me a Coffee, and Buzzsprout.

Guests Laura Fernández, Amanda Weiss, and Siobhan Speiran join Claudia to discuss case studies as wide ranging as Japanese animal cafes, Spanish bull fighting, and Costa Rican sanctuaries to unfurl the complex relations of social media and animals. Together they probe how social media packages animals as content, why that changes real lives, and where activism, policy, and platform design can push back. Date Recorded: 11 April 2025 Featured: Han Heroes and Yamato Warriors: Competing Masculinities in Chinese and Japanese War Cinema by Amanda WeissCritical Animal and Media Studies by Núria Almiron, Matthew Cole, Carrie P. FreemanMedia Theories and the Crossroads of Critical Animal and Media Studies by Debra MerskinWounded men of feminism: Exploring regimes of male victimhood in the Spanish manosphere by Elisa García Mingo and Silvia Díaz FernándezA field-based Conservation Welfare Assessment Framework for Costa Rican primate sanctuaries by Siobhan SperianThe Emotional politics of images: moral shock, explicit violence and strategic visual communication in the animal liberation movement by Laura FernándezAnimal Traffic: Lively Capital in the Global Exotic Pet Trade by Rosemary-Claire CollardBig Cat Reporting Tool by Four PawsAbout Looking by John BergerThe Philosopher and the Wolf by Mark Rowlands.Social Media Cruelty CoalitionSeoul Zebra EscapeStop Animals Selfie Campaign The Civet ProjectGlobal Federation of SanctuarA.P.P.L.EAnimals in Politics, Law, and Ethics researches how we live in interspecies societies and polities.iROAR NetworkiROAR brings together podcasts that aim is to make the world a better place for animals. Georgia Institute of Technology School of Modern Language, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, School of Literature, Media, & CommunPollination Project The Pollination Project empowers volunteers across by providing the funding they need. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the showThe Animal Turn is hosted and produced by Claudia Hirtenfelder and is part of the iROAR Network. Learn more on our website. Leave a Review on Podchaser Check out The Animal Turn Merch. Support us on Patreon, Buy Me a Coffee, and Buzzsprout.

We celebrate 100 episodes by asking how podcasting can teach, build community, and improve animal welfare across languages, disciplines, and daily routines. Guests Maria Carreras and Kate Acton share concrete changes, strategic insights, and challenges that reshape how we listen to animals and to each other.Date Recorded: 11 April 2025Featured: When Animals Speak by Eva MeijerThe Sexual Politics of Meat by Carol J Adams.Inside of a Dog by Alexandra HorowitzEvaluating the Addition of Positive Reinforcement for Learning a Frightening Task: A Pilot Study With Horses by Camie R Heleski et alThe Ventriloquist’s Burden: Animal Advocacy and the Problem of Speaking for Others by Lauren Corman Preliminary evidence supporting the use of equine science podcasts to bridge the gap between scientists and horse enthusiasts to improve horse welfare by Kate Acton and others. iROAR NetworkCulture and Animals Foundation Conversations in Equine Science podcastECA Podcast Animals Ethics ReviewJournal for Critical Animal StudiesDerercho Animals podcast A.P.P.L.EAnimals in Politics, Law, and Ethics researches how we live in interspecies societies and polities.iROAR NetworkiROAR brings together podcasts that aim is to make the world a better place for animals. Pollination Project The Pollination Project empowers volunteers across by providing the funding they need. Georgia Institute of Technology School of Modern Language, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, School of Literature, Media, & CommunDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the showThe Animal Turn is hosted and produced by Claudia Hirtenfelder and is part of the iROAR Network. Learn more on our website. Leave a Review on Podchaser Check out The Animal Turn Merch. Support us on Patreon, Buy Me a Coffee, and Buzzsprout.

Gaming is one of the most consumed forms of media globally making it an important space from to explore human-animal relations. In this episode, media scholars Michael Rübsamen, Osvaldo Cleger, and Keung Yoon Bae discuss the interconnections of gaming, representation, and identity and what the significance of this might be for considerations of animals.  Date Recorded: 3 February 2025 Featured: The Witcher Thoughts towards an Ontology of Play by Eugene Fink Homo Ludens: A Study of Play Element in Culture by Johan HuizingaWhy Animals can’t get enough of touch screen technology by Jason GoldmanRed Dead Redemption 2WestworldGrand Theft AutoAssassin’s CreedDisco ElysiumDeath Stranding BorderlandsThe Lend of ZeldaUnravelDungeons and Dragons Remember to Leave a Review on  Podchaser and to check out The Animal Turn Merch. You can also support the show financially via Patreon, Buy Me a Coffee, and A.P.P.L.EAnimals in Politics, Law, and Ethics researches how we live in interspecies societies and polities.iROAR NetworkiROAR brings together podcasts that aim is to make the world a better place for animals. Georgia Institute of Technology School of Modern Language, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, School of Literature, Media, & CommunPollination Project The Pollination Project empowers volunteers across by providing the funding they need. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the showThe Animal Turn is hosted and produced by Claudia Hirtenfelder and is part of the iROAR Network. Learn more on our website. Leave a Review on Podchaser Check out The Animal Turn Merch. Support us on Patreon, Buy Me a Coffee, and Buzzsprout.

In this episode we animals, power, and popular media. Emily Major, Debra Merskin, and Lu Liu help to think through how animals are manufactured as “pests” and “icons” in media and how those labels shape empathy, policy, and everyday cruelty towards animals. Date Recorded: 15 January 2025 Featured: Animals and MediaMass Media and Society edited by Debra Merskin Seeing Species by Debra Merskin Media, Minorities and Meaning by Debra Merskin Communicating Nature by Julia B. Corbett. Projecting on Predators by Debra MerskinBrushtail possums and species-inclusive social work in Aotearoa New Zealand by Emily Major Slayers, rippers, and blitzes: dark humor and the justification of cruelty to possums in online media in New Zealand by Emily Major Playful Killing: Animals and Socialist Childhood in 1950s People's Republic of China by Lu LiuAnimals in Media on The Animal Turn Panda Politics by Rosemary-Claire CollardAnimals and Tourism with Carol Kline and Jes Hooper on The Animal Turn We AnimalsSentieA.P.P.L.EAnimals in Politics, Law, and Ethics researches how we live in interspecies societies and polities.Georgia Institute of Technology School of Modern Language, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, School of Literature, Media, & CommunPollination Project The Pollination Project empowers volunteers across by providing the funding they need. iROAR NetworkiROAR brings together podcasts that aim is to make the world a better place for animals. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the showThe Animal Turn is hosted and produced by Claudia Hirtenfelder and is part of the iROAR Network. Learn more on our website. Leave a Review on Podchaser Check out The Animal Turn Merch. Support us on Patreon, Buy Me a Coffee, and Buzzsprout.

In this episode we discuss how rhetorical constructions of animality, and humanity are mobilized to serve specific power structures, including white supremacy and colonialism. Lauren Corman, David Rooney, and S. Marek Muller come on the show to talk about some of the complex networks of media influence and consumption that shape such thought.  Date Recorded: 19 February 2025Mentioned: “Pageantry of aggression”: QAnon, animality, and the violent pursuit of whiteness by Lauren CormanLong live the Liver King: right-wing carnivorism and the digital dissemination of primal rhetoric by Marek Muller, David Rooney, and Cecilia CerjaInterspecies Subjectivity with Lauren Corman on The Animal TurnDangerous Crossings by Claire Jean KimDecolonization is not a Metaphor by Eve tuck and K. Wayne YangNature's Wild by Andil GosineSexual Politics of Meat by Carol AdamsPetro-masculinity: Fossil Fuels and Authoritarian Desire by Cara DaggettThe Animal ThereforeI I am by Jacques DerridaAnimals and Capital by Dinesh WadiwelMultispecies Disposability: Taxonomies of Power in a Global Pandemic by Darren Chang and Lauren CormanBecoming HumA.P.P.L.EAnimals in Politics, Law, and Ethics researches how we live in interspecies societies and polities.iROAR NetworkiROAR brings together podcasts that aim is to make the world a better place for animals. Georgia Institute of Technology School of Modern Language, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, School of Literature, Media, & CommunPollination Project The Pollination Project empowers volunteers across by providing the funding they need. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the showThe Animal Turn is hosted and produced by Claudia Hirtenfelder and is part of the iROAR Network. Learn more on our website. Leave a Review on Podchaser Check out The Animal Turn Merch. Support us on Patreon, Buy Me a Coffee, and Buzzsprout.

Carrie Freeman and Christopher Eubanks join Claudia on the show to explore animal (mis)representation in media. They examine some of the ways in which animals are represented in activist messaging and the interconnections of animal rights with other social justice movements. Date Recorded: 29 February 2025  Featured: The Human Animal Earthling by Carrie FreemanCritical Animal and Media Studies by Núria Almiron, Matthew Cole, Carrie P. FreemanFraming Farming by Carrie FreemanWhat a Fish Knows by Jonathan Balcombe Animals in Media on The Animal Turn. Animal Activism Starter Guide Advocacy Guide for BIPOC Activists – by APEX Advocacy In Tune to Nature with Carrie FreemanAnimals and Media Style Guidelines by Carrie Freeman and Debra MerskinHuman supremacism: why are animal rights activists still the “orphans of the left”? by Will KymlickaCrossings by Ben Goldfarb Social Movement Mobilization and Feminism with Corey Lee Wrenn on The Animal TurnA.P.P.L.EAnimals in Politics, Law, and Ethics researches how we live in interspecies societies and polities.iROAR NetworkiROAR brings together podcasts that aim is to make the world a better place for animals. Georgia Institute of Technology School of Modern Language, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, School of Literature, Media, & CommunPollination Project The Pollination Project empowers volunteers across by providing the funding they need. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the showThe Animal Turn is hosted and produced by Claudia Hirtenfelder and is part of the iROAR Network. Learn more on our website. Leave a Review on Podchaser Check out The Animal Turn Merch. Support us on Patreon, Buy Me a Coffee, and Buzzsprout.