Paper Short Abstract:

In my recent ethnographic research on the Viennese horse-drawn carriage industry, I wanted to give equal attention to the agency of the horses and thus challange the way animals are part of anthropological research. This led me to use visual methods that enabled me to explore how horses likely perceive and navigate Viennese urban environments and how humans and horses co-create their interspecies working relationships.

Paper Abstract:

The title of my presentation highlights the role of horses in Vienna's urban environment, explored through multispecies studies, sensory anthropology, and (French) ethnozoology. Inspired by Philippe Descola’s challenge to anthropocentrism, my research examines interspecies relationships between horses and coachmen in Vienna's horse-drawn carriage industry, focusing on recognizing horses’ agency and subjectivity.

Initially, I used observational methods, filming with a handheld camera in the city center. However, I realized this approach marginalized the horses, failing to capture them as active participants. To address this, I turned to sensory anthropology, experimenting with technologies like the GoPro, attaching it to the horses to film from their perspective. This shift allowed me to better explore their sensory experiences and agency.

This approach was not without challenges, as camera placement often required negotiation with the horses, sometimes causing discomfort. These moments underscored the complexities of fieldwork with non-human participants but also revealed the potential for collaborative, interspecies research.

Through this presentation, I demonstrate how technologies like cameras can enhance our engagement with animals and inspire innovative ways of representing their agency. By focusing on body language and sound, these visual methods move beyond traditional, human-centric storytelling, fostering experimental collaboration between researcher, coachmen, and horses. This approach offers new perspectives on interspecies relationships and their representation in (visual) anthropology.