Sue Donaldson
Biographic Data
| ID | 3698281 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Sue Donaldson |
| GIVEN NAMES | Sue |
| FAMILY NAME | Donaldson |
| SIGNATURE | DONALDSON S |
| AFFILIATIONS | Queen's University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3901-232X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 13 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 46 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 13 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2006 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Santuarios de animales de granja
Uno de los desafíos fundamentales para la teoría de los derechos animales consiste en imaginar los contornos de relaciones sociales justas con los “animales de granja”, una vez que dejemos de confinarlos y matarlos para obtener alimento. ¿Qué tipo de relaciones sociales podrían establecer las vacas, los cerdos, los pollos y otros animales con nosotros, así como con otros miembros de su propia especie o con los de otras especies? ¿Qué tipo de vida…
Sanctuary Communities
Doing Politics with Animals
An increasing number of theorists are challenging the idea that only humans can engage in politics and propose that humans must learn how to do politics with animals. But what does it mean to do politics with animals? We consider several recent developments at the frontiers of social inquiry that are relevant, including (1) proposals for the institutional representation of animals' interests in human political decision-making processes; (2) growi…
Realizing Interspecies Democracy
Sue Donaldson, Janneke Vink, and Jean-Paul Gagnon discuss the problem of anthropocentric democratic theory and the preconditions needed to realize a (corrective) interspecies democracy. Donaldson proposes the formal involvement of nonhuman animals in political institutions—a revolutionary task; Vink argues for changes to the law that would cover nonhuman animals with inviolable political rights; and Gagnon advises a personal change to dietary cho…
Animal Agora
Many theorists of the ‘political turn’ in animal rights theory emphasize the need for animals’ interests to be considered in political decision-making processes, but deny that this requires self-representation and participation by animals themselves. I argue that participation by domesticated animals in co-authoring our shared world is indeed required, and explore two ways to proceed: 1) by enabling animal voice within the existing geography of h…
Chimpanzee Rights
Since 2013, an organization called the Nonhuman Rights Project has brought before the New York State courts an unusual request—asking for habeas corpus hearings to determine whether Kiko and Tommy, two captive chimpanzees, should be considered legal persons with the fundamental right to bodily liberty. While the courts have agreed that chimpanzees share emotional, behavioural, and cognitive similarities with humans, they have denied that chimpanz…
Inclusive Citizenship Beyond the Capacity Contract
There is deep tension within mainstream citizenship theory. On the one hand, citizenship is often defined in terms of social membership, such that all those affected or all those governed should be part of the demos. On the other hand, citizenship is often limited by an implicit “capacity contract” to those with sophisticated cognitive and linguistic capacities to engage in rational political deliberation, thereby excluding children, people with …
Locating Animals in Political Philosophy
While animal rights have been a central topic within moral philosophy since the 1970s, it has remained virtually invisible within political philosophy. This article explores two key reasons for the difficulties in locating animals within political philosophy. First, even if animals are seen as having intrinsic moral status, they are often seen as ultimately distant others or strangers, beyond the bounds of human society. Insofar as political phil…
Interspecies Politics
Animals in Political Theory
Western political theorists have largely ignored the animal question, assuming that animals have no place in our theories of democracy, citizenship, membership, sovereignty, and the public good. Conversely, animal ethicists have largely ignored political theory, assuming that we can theorize the moral status and moral rights of animals without drawing on the categories and concepts of political theory. This chapter traces the history of this sepa…
Unruly Beasts
Many commentators—including some animal rights theorists—have argued that non-human animals cannot be seen as members of the demos because they lack the critical capacities for self-rule and moral agency which are required for citizenship. We argue that this worry is based on mistaken ideas about both citizenship, on the one hand, and animals, on the other. Citizenship requires self-restraint and responsiveness to shared norms, but these capaciti…
A Reply to Svärd, Nurse, and Ryland
In their commentaries on Zoopolis, Nurse, Ryland, and Svärd raise several challenges to our argument for a "political theory of animal rights." They not only object to the specific models of animal citizenship and animal sovereignty we offer, but also express doubt that the categories of political theory can truly shed light on the animal question. In reply, we first clarify the gap in existing animal rights theory that political theory helps to …
Outside, Looking In
Women have achieved elective and appointive political positions at almost every level of American government, but the number of elected women officials is far smaller than their proportion in the population. Wendy Wasserstein's An American Daughter illustrates the difficulties women experience in the world of politics. As the play reveals, women are expected to meet higher standards than their male counterparts and to succeed in both the public a…
Animal Agora
Many theorists of the ‘political turn’ in animal rights theory emphasize the need for animals’ interests to be considered in political decision-making processes, but deny that this requires self-representation and participation by animals themselves. I argue that participation by domesticated animals in co-authoring our shared world is indeed required, and explore two ways to proceed: 1) by enabling animal voice within the existing geography of h…
Unruly Beasts
Many commentators—including some animal rights theorists—have argued that non-human animals cannot be seen as members of the demos because they lack the critical capacities for self-rule and moral agency which are required for citizenship. We argue that this worry is based on mistaken ideas about both citizenship, on the one hand, and animals, on the other. Citizenship requires self-restraint and responsiveness to shared norms, but these capaciti…
Interspecies Politics
Doing Politics with Animals
An increasing number of theorists are challenging the idea that only humans can engage in politics and propose that humans must learn how to do politics with animals. But what does it mean to do politics with animals? We consider several recent developments at the frontiers of social inquiry that are relevant, including (1) proposals for the institutional representation of animals' interests in human political decision-making processes; (2) growi…
Locating Animals in Political Philosophy
While animal rights have been a central topic within moral philosophy since the 1970s, it has remained virtually invisible within political philosophy. This article explores two key reasons for the difficulties in locating animals within political philosophy. First, even if animals are seen as having intrinsic moral status, they are often seen as ultimately distant others or strangers, beyond the bounds of human society. Insofar as political phil…
Animals in Political Theory
Western political theorists have largely ignored the animal question, assuming that animals have no place in our theories of democracy, citizenship, membership, sovereignty, and the public good. Conversely, animal ethicists have largely ignored political theory, assuming that we can theorize the moral status and moral rights of animals without drawing on the categories and concepts of political theory. This chapter traces the history of this sepa…
Outside, Looking In
Women have achieved elective and appointive political positions at almost every level of American government, but the number of elected women officials is far smaller than their proportion in the population. Wendy Wasserstein's An American Daughter illustrates the difficulties women experience in the world of politics. As the play reveals, women are expected to meet higher standards than their male counterparts and to succeed in both the public a…
Realizing Interspecies Democracy
Sue Donaldson, Janneke Vink, and Jean-Paul Gagnon discuss the problem of anthropocentric democratic theory and the preconditions needed to realize a (corrective) interspecies democracy. Donaldson proposes the formal involvement of nonhuman animals in political institutions—a revolutionary task; Vink argues for changes to the law that would cover nonhuman animals with inviolable political rights; and Gagnon advises a personal change to dietary cho…
Outside, Looking In
Women have achieved elective and appointive political positions at almost every level of American government, but the number of elected women officials is far smaller than their proportion in the population. Wendy Wasserstein's An American Daughter illustrates the difficulties women experience in the world of politics. As the play reveals, women are expected to meet higher standards than their male counterparts and to succeed in both the public a…
A Reply to Svärd, Nurse, and Ryland
In their commentaries on Zoopolis, Nurse, Ryland, and Svärd raise several challenges to our argument for a "political theory of animal rights." They not only object to the specific models of animal citizenship and animal sovereignty we offer, but also express doubt that the categories of political theory can truly shed light on the animal question. In reply, we first clarify the gap in existing animal rights theory that political theory helps to …
Unruly Beasts
Many commentators—including some animal rights theorists—have argued that non-human animals cannot be seen as members of the demos because they lack the critical capacities for self-rule and moral agency which are required for citizenship. We argue that this worry is based on mistaken ideas about both citizenship, on the one hand, and animals, on the other. Citizenship requires self-restraint and responsiveness to shared norms, but these capaciti…
Interspecies Politics
Animals in Political Theory
Western political theorists have largely ignored the animal question, assuming that animals have no place in our theories of democracy, citizenship, membership, sovereignty, and the public good. Conversely, animal ethicists have largely ignored political theory, assuming that we can theorize the moral status and moral rights of animals without drawing on the categories and concepts of political theory. This chapter traces the history of this sepa…
Locating Animals in Political Philosophy
While animal rights have been a central topic within moral philosophy since the 1970s, it has remained virtually invisible within political philosophy. This article explores two key reasons for the difficulties in locating animals within political philosophy. First, even if animals are seen as having intrinsic moral status, they are often seen as ultimately distant others or strangers, beyond the bounds of human society. Insofar as political phil…
Inclusive Citizenship Beyond the Capacity Contract
There is deep tension within mainstream citizenship theory. On the one hand, citizenship is often defined in terms of social membership, such that all those affected or all those governed should be part of the demos. On the other hand, citizenship is often limited by an implicit “capacity contract” to those with sophisticated cognitive and linguistic capacities to engage in rational political deliberation, thereby excluding children, people with …
Chimpanzee Rights
Since 2013, an organization called the Nonhuman Rights Project has brought before the New York State courts an unusual request—asking for habeas corpus hearings to determine whether Kiko and Tommy, two captive chimpanzees, should be considered legal persons with the fundamental right to bodily liberty. While the courts have agreed that chimpanzees share emotional, behavioural, and cognitive similarities with humans, they have denied that chimpanz…
Animal Agora
Many theorists of the ‘political turn’ in animal rights theory emphasize the need for animals’ interests to be considered in political decision-making processes, but deny that this requires self-representation and participation by animals themselves. I argue that participation by domesticated animals in co-authoring our shared world is indeed required, and explore two ways to proceed: 1) by enabling animal voice within the existing geography of h…
Realizing Interspecies Democracy
Sue Donaldson, Janneke Vink, and Jean-Paul Gagnon discuss the problem of anthropocentric democratic theory and the preconditions needed to realize a (corrective) interspecies democracy. Donaldson proposes the formal involvement of nonhuman animals in political institutions—a revolutionary task; Vink argues for changes to the law that would cover nonhuman animals with inviolable political rights; and Gagnon advises a personal change to dietary cho…
Doing Politics with Animals
An increasing number of theorists are challenging the idea that only humans can engage in politics and propose that humans must learn how to do politics with animals. But what does it mean to do politics with animals? We consider several recent developments at the frontiers of social inquiry that are relevant, including (1) proposals for the institutional representation of animals' interests in human political decision-making processes; (2) growi…
Sanctuary Communities
Santuarios de animales de granja
Uno de los desafíos fundamentales para la teoría de los derechos animales consiste en imaginar los contornos de relaciones sociales justas con los “animales de granja”, una vez que dejemos de confinarlos y matarlos para obtener alimento. ¿Qué tipo de relaciones sociales podrían establecer las vacas, los cerdos, los pollos y otros animales con nosotros, así como con otros miembros de su propia especie o con los de otras especies? ¿Qué tipo de vida…
Political science (11 works) · Politics (10 works) · Sociology (9 works) · Epistemology (8 works) · Geographies of human-animal interactions (8 works) · Law (8 works) · Environmental ethics (7 works) · Environmental Philosophy and Ethics (6 works) · Law (5 works) · Political philosophy (5 works)