Industrial Scale Surrogacy
Animal Agriculture and the Politics of Reproduction
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52537/humanimalia.28277Keywords:
capitalism, animal agriculture, surrogacy, reproduction, social reproductionAbstract
In this paper, I explore the multiplication of animal life which has been the general tendency of capitalist agriculture, and its implications for thinking about animals and the politics of reproduction. I will firstly focus on the forced gestational labour that is required by a large number of animals in food systems today to mass produce animal-based food commodities. Secondly, I will consider this mass scale reproduction and its relation to social reproduction which makes possible all production under capitalism. As I shall argue, animals perform metabolic and gestational work to create a means of subsistence for humans; thus, animals have a fundamental role under capitalism in enabling human social reproduction (the “reproduction of reproduction”). Finally, I will conclude by reflecting on Sophie Lewis’s book Full Surrogacy Now and its potential implications for thinking about animals in food systems. Building on the work of feminist animal studies and labour theory, I argue that those who advocate for the rights of animals would arguably benefit from understanding the distinct and indispensable role of reproduction as a site of tactical intervention.
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