Gefährliche Begegnungen

Abstract

The coexistence of humans and large predators often proves difficult. Large predators pose a danger to humans and their livestock, while at the same time they are often endangered themselves and have a high conservation status. Based on two examples, sharks in La Réunion’s coastal waters and wolves in Northern Germany’s forests, this article examines how different technologies are used to mediate encounters. While some technologies still aim at a separation between humans and these predators, we focus on technologies that strive for a joint, yet less risky use of space. Inspired by questions from science and technology studies and Haraways’s notion of ‘contact zones’ (Haraway 2008), we look at the discursive as well as practical implications of these technologies for both humans and animals, as well as the relation between the two. Asking whether these socio-technical interventions can be productively interpreted in light of posthumanist calls for more convivial relationships, we contribute to current theoretical reflections on the relation between humans, animals and technologies and their potential for less anthropocentric spatial orderings.

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