Challenging anthropocentrism and speciesism in social work education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11157/anzswj-vol37iss1id1178Keywords:
social work education, social work and animals, critical animal studies, speciesism and anthropocentrism, trans-species social justice, human-animal relationsAbstract
INTRODUCTION: Socially and legally acceptable views toward other animals are changing throughout the world. However, most social work education does not reflect such changes. Non-human animals are still viewed as tools for improving the wellbeing of human animals. To promote the development of social work education and practice responsive to today’s human and non-human animal relationships, this article discusses much-needed theoretical developments in social work education.
APPROACH: We examine recent changes to the Canadian Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics and Canadian Social Work Education Accreditation Standards to assess the current frameworks for its education. These have recently added a focus on Environmental Justice, Sustainability and Ecological Practices to address growing concerns about climate change, yet do not consider animals explicitly or recognise the impacts of speciesism. Achieving a collective vision of social, economic, and environmental justice for all beings cannot be realised without considering non-human animals and actively challenging anthropocentric ontologies and epistemologies.
CONCLUSIONS: We argue for a double-pronged approach addressing both ontologies and epistemologies of social work and discuss integrating key concepts from Critical Animal Studies (CAS) such as: anti-anthropocentrism, anti-speciesism, intersectionality, truncated narrative of dominance, and trans-species social justice, into social work education. By sharing authors’ teaching experiences, we demonstrate how such a theoretical orientation helps to critically analyse hierarchal relationships and envision practice to dismantle oppressive social systems that intersect with human and non-human animals. Thus, such theoretical changes, with a double-pronged approach in education, can strengthen social workers’ capacities to address justice.
References
Arathoon, J. (2024). Towards a research agenda for animal and disability geographies: Ableism, speciesism, care, space, and place. Social & Cultural Geography, 25(2), 199–217. https://doi.org/10.1080/14649365.2022.2152087
Arkow P. (2020). Human-animal relationships and social work: Opportunities beyond the veterinary environment.
Child Adolescent Social Work Journal, 37(6), 573–588. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-020-00697-x
Barker, S. B., & Wolen, A. R. (2008). The benefits of human-companion animal interaction: A review. Journal of
Veterinary Medical Education, 35(4), 487–495. https://doi.org/10.3138/jvme.35.4.487
Baquero, O. S. (2021). One health of peripheries: Biopolitics, social determination, and field of praxis. Frontiers in Public Health, 9, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.617003
Best, S., Nocella II, A. J., Kahn, R., Gigliotti, C., & Kemmerer, L. (2007). Introducing critical animal studies. Journal of Critical Animal Studies, 5(1), 4–5.
Besthorn, F. H. (2011). Deep ecology’s contributions to social work: A ten-year retrospective. International Journal of Social Welfare, 21(3), 248–259. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2397.2011.00850.x
Bibbo, J., Curl, A. L., & Johnson, R. A. (2019). Pets in the lives of older adults: A life course perspective. Anthrozoös, 32(4), 541–554. https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2019.1621541
Bretzlaff-Holstein, C. (2018). The case for humane education in social work education. Social Work Education, 37(7), 924–935. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2018.1468428
Britton, D. M., & Button, A. (2005). Prison pups: Assessing the effects of dog training programs in correctional facilities. Journal of Family Social Work, 9(4), 79–95. https://doi.org/10.1300/J039v09n04_06
Campbell, A. M. (2022). The intertwined well-being of children and non-human animals: An analysis of animal control reports involving children. Social Sciences, 11(46), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci11020046
Canadian Animal Health Institute. (2022). Latest Canadian pet population figures released. https://www.cahi-icsa.ca/press-releases/2022-latest-canadian-pet-population-figures-released
Canadian Association for Social Work Education. (2021). Educational policies and accreditation standards for Canadian social work education. https://caswe-acfts.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/EPAS-2021-1.pdf
Canadian Association of Social Workers. (2024). Code of ethics, values and guiding principles. https://www.casw-acts.ca/en/casw-code-ethics-2024
Canadian Institute for Health Information. (2020). Canada’s health care providers: Provincial profiles, 2019-2020 – data tables. https://www.cihi.ca/sites/default/files/document/canada-health-care-providers-2016-2020-data-tables-en.xlsx
Ceryes, C. A., & Heaney, C. D. (2019) “Ag-gag” laws: Evolution, resurgence, and public health implications. New Solutions: A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy, 28(4), 664–682. https://doi.org/10.1177/1048291118808788
Chalmers, D., Dell, C., Rohr, B., Dixon, J., Dowling, T., & Hanrahan, C. (2020). Recognizing animals as an important part of helping: A survey exploring knowledge and practice among Canadian social workers. Critical Social Work, 21(1), 2–29. https://doi.org/10.22329/csw.v21i1.6224
Charles, N., & Davies, C. A. (2011). My family and other animals: Pets as kin. In B. Carter & N. Charles (Eds.), Human and other animals (pp. 69–92). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230321366_4
Choo, H. Y., & Ferree, M. M. (2010). Practicing intersectionality in sociological research: A critical analysis of inclusions, interactions, and institutions in the study of inequalities. Sociological Theory, 28(2), 129–149. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9558.2010.01370.x
Coulter, K. (2017). Humane jobs: A political economic vision for interspecies solidarity and human-animal wellbeing. Politics and Animals, 3, 31–41.
Duvnjak, A., & Dent, A. (2024). The consideration of animals within Australian social work curriculum. Australian Social Work, 77(3), 397–409. https://doi.org/10.1080/0312407X.2023.2238697
Faver, C. A. (2010). School-based humane education as a strategy to prevent violence: Review and recommendations. Children and Youth Services Review, 32(3), 365–370. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2009.10.006
Faver, C. A., & Strand, E. B. (2003). Special section: Domestic violence and social work education domestic violence and animal cruelty: Untangling the web of abuse. Journal of Social Work Education, 39(2), 237–253. https://doi.org/10.1080/10437797.2003.10779134
Ferreira, J. T., Matsuoka, A., & Sorenson, J. (2018, October 12). Animals and social work: Examining barriers to inclusion of knowledge of human–animal relations in social work practice in Ontario and thinking about trans- species social justice. Animals and US Conference, Windsor, ON, Canada. https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/animalsandus/schedule/Friday/
Ferreira, J. T., Matsuoka, A. & Sorenson, J. (2024). Finding a place for animals in green social work education and practice, In S. Hillock (Ed.), Greening social work education (pp. 183–203). University of Toronto Press.
Flynn, C. P. (2000). Woman’s best friend: Pet abuse and the role of companion animals in the lives of battered women. Violence Against Women, 6(2), 162-177. https://doi.org/10.1177/10778010022181778
Food and Agriculture Organization. (2008). Contributing to one world, one health: A strategic framework for reducing risks at the animal-human-ecosystems interface. https://www.fao.org/4/aj137e/aj137e00.pdf
Francione, G, L. (1995). The problem: “Unnecessary” suffering and the “humane” treatment of property. In Animals, property, and the law (pp.17–32). Temple University Press.
Francione, G. L. (2020) Some brief comments on animal rights. Animal Frontiers, 10(1), 29–33. https://doi.org/10.1093/af/vfz050
Gilligan, C. (1982). A different voice: Psychological theory and women’s development. Harvard University Press.
Google. (n.d.). [Google Maps Canada]. Retrieved January 2, 2025, from https://maps.app.goo.gl/HA1SFA3KTqNpGAB4A
Hanrahan, C. (2013). Social work and human animal bonds and benefits in health research: A provincial study. Critical Social Work, 14(1), 63–79. https://doi.org/10.22329/csw.v14i1.5873
Hanrahan, C. (2014). Integrative health thinking and the one health concept: Is social work all for “one” or “one” for all? In T. Ryan (Ed), Animals in social work (pp. 32–47). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137372291_3
Humane Canada. (2022). Legal keystone report: Toward a humane justice system for animals. https://aka-humane-canada-prod.s3.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com/attachments/iaud6v8h8bjur107cd85g5h8-hc-legal-keystone-report-final-printable.pdf
Humane Society of the United States (2024). Cosmetic animal testing FAQ.
Kheel, M. (1993). From heroic to holistic ethics: The ecofeminist challenge. In G. Gaard (Ed.) Ecofeminism: Women, animals, nature (pp. 243–271). Temple University Press.
Ko leszar-Green, R. & Matsuoka, A. (2018). Indigenous worldviews and critical animal studies: decolonization and revealing truncated narratives of dominance. In A. Matsuoka & J. Sorenson (Eds), Critical animal studies: Toward trans-species social justice (pp. 333–349). Rowman & Littlefield International. https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781786606464/Critical-Animal-Studies-Towards-Trans-species-Social-Justice
Lawrance, E. L., Thompson, R., Newberry Le Vay, J., Page, L., & Jennings, N. (2022). The impact of climate change on mental health and emotional wellbeing: A narrative review of current evidence, and its implications. International Review of Psychiatry, 34(5), 443–498. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540261.2022.2128725
Levitt, L. (2024). The evolving role of animals in contemporary society. In L. Levitt, D. B. Rosengard, &
J. Rubin (Eds.), Animals as crime victims (pp. 67–97). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781802209884.00013
Lindsay, S. M. (2022). The “problem” of multispecies families: Speciesism in emergency intimate partner violence (IPV) shelters. Social Sciences, 11(6), 242. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci11060242
Majka, D. (2017). Migrations in motion [Map]. The nature conservancy. https://www.maps.tnc.org/migrations-in-motion/#4/54.03/-98.39
Matsuoka, A. (2023). Critical animal studies and one health in social work. In L. Kogan, (Ed.), Careers in one health, (pp. 219–221). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003335528
Matsuoka, A., & Sorenson, J. (2013). Human consequences of animal exploitation: Needs for redefining social welfare. Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, 40(4), 8–23. https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.3759
Matsuoka, A., & Sorenson, J. (2014). Social justice beyond human beings: Trans-species social justice. In T.
Ryan (Ed.), Animals in social work: How and why they matter (pp. 64–79). Palgrave Macmillan. ht tps://doi.org/10.1057/9781137372291
Matsuoka, A., & Sorenson, J. (Eds). (2018). Critical animal studies: Toward trans-species social justice. Row man & Littlefield International. Matsuoka, A., & Sorenson, J. (2021). Like an animal – Tropes for delegitimization. In N. Khazaal & N. Almiron (Eds.), Like an animal: Critical animal studies approaches to borders, displacement, and othering. Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004440654
Matsuoka, A., & Sorenson, J. (2023). Inclusive approaches by VAW shelters: Respecting women’s choice to be together with companion animals. Affilia, 38(3), 466–482. https://doi.org/10.1177/08861099221097758
Matsuoka, A., Sorenson, J., & Ferreira J. (2024, June 15,). Teaching resources. Animals and Social Work. https://animalsandsocialwork.info.yorku.ca/resources/teaching/
Matsuoka, A., Sorenson, J., Graham, T. M., & Ferreira, J. (2020). No pets allowed: A trans-species social justice perspective to address housing issues for older adults and companion animals. Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work, 32(4), 55–68. https://doi.org/10.11157/anzswj-vol32iss4id793
Mercy for Animals. (2023). Canada animal welfare scorecard: Ranking major food companies on their animal welfare performance. https://file-cdn.mercyforanimals.org/mercy4animals.wpengine.com/sites/517/2023/10/2023-Canada-Scorecard-Report.pdf
Montgomery, J., Lloyd, J., & Liang, Z. (2024). The impact of forced separations between women and their pets in domestic violence situations and the effectiveness of crisis response: Protocol for a conceptual framework. Journal of Medical Internet Research Protocols, 13. https://doi.org/10.2196/52067
Native Land Digital. (n.d.). [Turtle Island, also known as North America]. Retrieved September 15, 2022, from https://native-land.ca
Nibert, D. (2013). Animal oppression & human violence: Domesecration, capitalism, and global conflict. Columbia University Press.
Nickerson, S. (2024). 5 things you need to know about ag-gag laws in Canada. Animal Justice. https://animaljustice.ca/blog/ag-gag-laws-in-canada
Nocella, A., J., Sorenson, J., &Socha, K., (2014). Introduction: The emergence of critical animal studies: The rise of intersectional animal liberation. In A. J. Nocella, J. Sorenson, & K. Socha (Eds.), Defining critical animal studies: An intersectional social justice approach (pp. xix–xxxvi). Peter Lang Publishing. https://www.jstor.org/stable/42982374
Ontario Association of Social Workers. (2018). A snapshot of social work in Ontario: Key indicators for sustaining a critical profession.
Palmer, C., & Sandøe, P. (2018). Animal ethics. In M. C. Appleby, I. A. S. Olsson, & F. Galindo (Eds.), Animal welfare (pp. 3–15). CABI. https://doi.org/10.1079/9781786390202.0003
Parliament of Canada. (2024). S-241 An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act (great apes, elephants and certain other animals) Short title: Jane Goodall Act. https://www.parl.ca/legisinfo/en/bill/44-1/s-241
R v Chen [2021] ABCA 382 (CanLII). https://canlii.ca/t/jksr7
Regan, T. (1983). The case for animal rights. University of California Press.
Risley-Curtiss, C. (2010a). Social work and other animals: Living up to ecological practice. In M. DeMello (Ed.), Teaching the animal: Human-animal studies across the disciplines. (pp. 281–298). Lantern Books.
Risley-Curtiss, C. (2010b). Social work practitioners and the human-companion animal bond: A national study. Social Work, 55(1), 38–46. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/55.1.38
Ryan, T. (2011). Animals and social work: A moral introduction. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230306868
Ryder, R. D. (2000). Speciesism. In Animal Revolution: Changing attitudes towards speciesism, (pp. 223–250). Berg.
Sable, P. (2013). The pet connection: An attachment perspective. Clinical Social Work Journal, 41, 93–99. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-012-0405-2
Singer, P. (1975). Animal liberation. Avon Books.
Snowshoe, A., & Starblanket, N. (2016). Eyininiw mistatimwak: The role of the Lac La Croix Indigenous
Pony for First Nations youth mental wellness. Journal of Indigenous Wellbeing: Te Mauri-Pimatisiwin, 1(2), 60–76.
Sorenson, J. (Ed.). (2014). Critical animal studies: Thinking the unthinkable. Canadian Scholars’ Press.
Sorenson, J., & Matsuoka, A. (2019a). Dog’s best friend?: Rethinking canid-human relations. McGill-Queen’s University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvscxt9m
Sorenson, J., & Matsuoka, A. (2019b). Introduction. In J. Sorenson & A. Matsuoka (Eds.), Dog’s best friend?: Rethinking canid-human relations(pp. 3–29). McGill-Queen’s University Press.
Sorenson, J., & Matsuoka, A. (2020). Political economy of denialism: Addressing the case of animal agriculture. In T. Grušovnik, R. Spannring, & K. L. Syse (Eds.), Environmental and animal abuse denial: Averting our gaze (pp. 145–167). Lexington Books/Fortress Academic.
Sorenson, J., & Matsuoka, A. (2022). Moral panic over fake service animals. Social Sciences, 11(439), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci11100439
Stevenson, R., Fitzgerald, A., & Barrett, B. J. (2018). Keeping pets safe in the context of intimate partner violence: Insights from domestic violence shelter staff in Canada. Affilia, 33(2), 236–252. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886109917747613
Taylor, N., Fraser, H., & Riggs, D. W. (2020). Theoretical research: Companion-animal-inclusive domestic violence practice: Implications for service delivery and social work. Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work, 32(4), 26–39.
Turner, W. G. (2005). The role of companion animals throughout the family life cycle. Journal of Family Social Work, 9(4), 11–21. https://doi.org/10.1300/J039v09n04_02
Volant, A. M., Johnson, J. A., Gullone, E., & Coleman, G. J. (2008). The relationship between domestic violence and animal abuse: An Australian study. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 23(9), 1277–1295. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260508314309
Webster, J. (2005). Animal welfare: Limping towards Eden. Blackwell Publishing.
Whipple, E. E. (2021). The human–animal bond and grief and loss: Implications for social work practice. Families in Society, 102(4), 518–528. https://doi.org/10.1177/10443894211015132
Whitfort, A. S. (2019). Animal welfare law, policy and the threat of “Ag-gag”: One step forward, two steps back. Food Ethics, 3(1–2), 77–90. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41055-019-00037-5
Wolf, D. B. (2000). Social work and speciesism. Social Work, 45(1), 88–93. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/45.1.88
Wu, H., Heyland, L. K., Yung, M., & Schneider, M. (2023). Human–animal interactions in disaster settings: A systematic review. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 14(3), 369–381. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13753-023-00496-9
Xue, S., Massazza, A., Akhter-Khan, S. C., Wray, B., Husain, M. I., & Lawrance, E. L. (2024). Mental health and psychosocial interventions in the context of climate change: A scoping review. Npj Mental Health Research, 3(1), 10. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44184-024-00054-1
Young, I. M. (1990, 2011). Justice and the politics of difference. Princeton University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvcm4g4q
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
By completing the online submission process, you confirm you accept this agreement. The following is the entire agreement between you and the Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers (ANZASW) and it may be modified only in writing.
You and any co-authors
If you are completing this agreement on behalf of co-authors, you confirm that you are acting on their behalf with their knowledge.
First publication
By submitting the work you are:
- granting the ANZASW the right of first publication of this work;
- confirming that the work is original; and
- confirming that the work has not been published in any other form.
Once published, you are free to use the final, accepted version in any way, as outlined below under Copyright.
Copyright
You assign copyright in the final, accepted version of your article to the ANZASW. You and any co-authors of the article retain the right to be identified as authors of the work.
The ANZASW will publish the final, accepted manuscript under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (CC BY 4.0). This licence allows anyone – including you – to share, copy, distribute, transmit, adapt and make commercial use of the work without needing additional permission, provided appropriate attribution is made to the original author or source.
A human-readable summary of the licence is available from http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, which includes a link to the full licence text.
Under this licence you can use the final, published version of the article freely – such as depositing a copy in your institutional research repository, uploading a copy to your profile on an academic networking site or including it in a different publication, such as a collection of articles on a topic or in conference proceedings – provided that original publication in Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work is acknowledged.
This agreement has no effect on any pre-publication versions or elements, which remain entirely yours, and to which we claim no right.
Reviewers hold copyright in their own comments and should not be further copied in any way without their permission.
The copyright of others
If your article includes the copyright material of others (e.g. graphs, diagrams etc.), you confirm that your use either:
- falls within the limits of fair dealing for the purposes of criticism and review or fair use; OR
- that you have gained permission from the rights holder for publication in an open access journal.
