Interspecies care work in theory and practice: From shared marginalisation to mutual flourishing

Moakes, Kerry-Jane (2025) Interspecies care work in theory and practice: From shared marginalisation to mutual flourishing. Doctoral thesis (PhD), Manchester Metropolitan University.

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Abstract

This thesis explores how interspecies care is co-constituted in a third-sector mental health organisation and how such experiences offer opportunities for mutual flourishing. Rooted in an ethics of care, the study examines how shared marginalisation between humans and animals sparks affective relational engagement, potentially challenging neoliberal ideologies of individualism. It investigates the benefits and tensions of focusing on care within a neoliberal organisational context. Using an interspecies ethnographic approach, immersive fieldwork was conducted in an Animal Assisted Intervention organisation (AAI). Data collection included participant observation, semi-structured interviews, photographs, and reflections. The analysis is based on a series of interspecies stories that unravel the social, cultural, and political factors embodied in these relationships, offering new possibilities for a mutually beneficial interspecies existence. This thesis makes two key contributions. First, it offers a detailed exploration of care in AAIs, illustrating how shared marginalisation between humans and animals fosters mutual flourishing, enhancing emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing for all species involved. Second, it frames this analysis within the organisational context, showing how a third-sector care organisation navigates neoliberal pressures whilst maintaining ethical care practices. The findings reveal that balancing ethical care with financial and psychological challenges is critical to achieving wellbeing for both humans and animals. The research highlights how narratives of care intersect with systems of marginalisation, particularly how marginalised groups like women and those with mental health challenges are likened to animals, reinforcing their marginal status. These narratives demonstrate that care, whilst often seen as inherently positive, can perpetuate power dynamics and inequalities depending on how it is structured. The findings have significant implications for interspecies care theory and practice, particularly in the context of human-animal organisations. Recognising shared marginalisation calls for a critical rethinking of care practices to promote mutual flourishing rather than reinforcing inequalities. Practical recommendations are provided for embedding interspecies care in AAI organisations, and future research directions include exploring interspecies care for individuals diagnosed with autism and using postcolonial lenses to reframe ethical care practices, integrating indigenous and relational understandings of interspecies coexistence. In conclusion, this study reveals the transformative potential of interspecies care to foster ethical and sustainable relationships. Personal reflections on the research process highlight the emotional and ethical dimensions of care-based research, contributing to a deeper understanding of its possibilities and limitations.