Troubling Companions: Companion Species and the Politics of Inter-relations

Abstract

This article examines Donna Haraway's concept of companion species by asking the question: Are technologies a species or not? This question is analysed through a comparison between the companion species of Haraway's in her agility dog and the technology of the surfboard and its rider. It is argued that the concept of companion species has difficulty distinguishing between technologies or machines as companion species and the bodies of sporting dogs or pets and that this poses questions about the meaning of “living” in machines and animals. This is examined through qualitative research into the technologies and practices associated with learning to surf. It is suggested that Haraway's use of the concept of “becoming-with” in relation to her conception of companion species leads to an empiricism in which relations and connections can be endlessly pursued and that this leads to a politics which is primarily capable of criticizing the naturalization of social relations. I present an analysis of animate versus inanimate based on Haraway's concept of companion species to explore one way in which it seems that it is possible to provide a concept that values different sets of entanglements across different instances of becoming-with.