03/07/2026 09:00
- 12:20
HALL: Parenzo - A13
Contact:
Mügge C.
Chair:
Enxing J.
The human mandate to rule over the earth within the Abrahamic religions has produced ambivalent and often highly problematic outcomes. In the Jewish and Christian creation narratives, this mandate has often been interpreted as an archetypal justification for human superiority and the exploitation of nature and animals. In Islam, the concept of ?alifa, which positions humans as God's representatives, can similarly give rise to tension-laden interpretations. Such selective readings of sacred texts continue to shape contemporary human-nature and human-animal relationships in ways fundamentally marked by hierarchy and inequality.
Over the past few decades, the call to "subdue" has often been reinterpreted as "taking responsibility", implying a more respectful approach in regards to the non-human (or: more-than-human) world. However, responsibility is also an ambigue concept and its interpretation can perpetuate the inequality between humans and animals in certain respects. For instance, responsibility is frequently invoked as an argument for human superiority.
This panel, hosted by the DFG network "Related in the face of God. The Human-Animal Relationship in Interreligious Perspective", explores the addressed ambiguity. It features contributions that revisit, question, or reimagine the notions of dominion, ?alifa and responsibility in light of insights from human-animal studies, recent developments in animal ethics, and the growing impact of the Anthropocene discourse.
We will discuss questions such as: Are there religious resources for a responsible relationship with non-human animals? Does framing humans as "responsible" risk reinforcing hierarchies? Is it necessary to move away from these traditions, can they be creatively reinterpreted, or is it worthwhile to revisit overlooked texts? In how far does the idea of the human being as the image of God function as a potential source for repentance or rather as a pitfall for the exploitation of our common home?
