On the biopolitics of power and society: petitions for animal protection in Russia, Germany and France (based on Change.org petitions)

Abstract

The study in the context of the biopolitics of power and society suggests a cross-cultural comparison of the petitional activity of the population of Russia, Germany, France, devoted to the protection of animals. The material was composed of archives of the international digital platform Change.org (22452 Russian-language petitions geographically connected with Russia, 1036 German-language petitions geographically connected with Germany, 15887 French-language petitions geographically connected with France). Online petitions of Change.org do not have legislative force, however, according to the established practice, the authorities, following the results of public discussions, can solve the problems stated in the petitions. The use of AntConc software allowed us to identify petitions for the protection of animals in the general archive. It turned out that the number of petitions filed about animals in Germany was 12%, in Russia – 9, in France – 8%. Among the ‘winning’ petitions there are 25% of them about animals in the Federal Republic of Germany, 16 – in Russia and 10% – in France. The phenomenon of petition support for animal protection by the authorities in the study was called ‘imitative posthumanism’. It was suggested that ‘imitative humanism’ in societies with a high standard of living of the population indicates the interest of the authorities in public support, in societies with a low standard of living it testifies to the deficient social development. According to the results of the study, there are twice as many petitions for the protection of domestic animals, regardless of the linguocultural discourse, compared to those submitted to defend wild animals. Wild animals are protected from murder and violence (during hunting, experiments, exploitation in zoos and circuses) and in some cases are considered in the context of environmental discourse. Pets are protected from harsh treatment, require regulation of relations between people who own animals (responsible possession), as well as protection of people from animals. It is suggested that potential civic engagement in the protection of animals may be associated with environmental activism.