Elliptical, Subtextual, Hidden: From Cattle Colonialism to Interspecies Kinship

You are currently viewing a placeholder content from Vimeo. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.

More Information

During the colonial era, the first cattle were brought to the ‘Americas’ in 1493. They were deployed as catalysts for the occupation of inhospitable areas and the destruction of indigenous landscapes. Thus, cattle played a decisive role in European conquests. In her video contribution to the “Pluriverse of Peace” series, Cecilia Cavalieri uses two unlikely protagonists to tell a deeply layered narrative: Balinha, “a fat, big-breasted, gentle, soft cow,” and Karvadi, “a bull of impressive build and extraordinary breed quality.” Drawing on struggles against war and climate injustice in general, as well as struggles against patriarchy, the exploitation of female bodies (both human and animal), environmental destruction, colonialism, and the commodification of life in particular, the video essay explores the intertwining of these issues. The resulting reflection on interspecies kinship and shared vulnerability ultimately leads to the question of what it means to rewrite history and design alternatives.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.