Questions of Dogs and Agency
As I begin crafting the final research paper of my graduate career, I have been grappling with the questions I intend to answer through my research. So far, I have come up with a few possible questions that I will attempt to answer, at least to some extent:
How did militarized dogs contribute to the war effort of the opposing sides involved in World War I? (I may focus on Britain and the United States more readily due to the availability of sources but at this time this is not entirely decided).
How did dogs perform tasks which man proved unable to do as well as or as efficiently during World War I?
How did relationships develop between man and canine during wartime? What did they mean for human and animal war experiences?
Why is it important to discuss dogs’ agency during this particular time period?
These questions then lend themselves to the significance of my paper. Who cares about dogs in war? Few animals (if any) are as inextricably linked to human beings like canines. However, their contributions to World War I cannot be overlooked as a mere means to placate man. Rather, dogs chose to cooperate of their own accord and this is precisely where discussions of agency come into play: are dogs agents in a vein similar to humans? This is not an easy question to answer and it is this question that calls for more prodding into the subject of animal agency. Furthermore, a nostalgia for animals in warfare has emerged in the past few years with films such as War Horse and books such as Rebecca Frankel’s War Dogs (see next post). Certainly, the time appears to be ripe for more study into the human-animal war experience. Lastly, animals (including dogs) are proving that war is not simply a human affair. Instead, the historic use of animals during wartime proves that oftentimes, men were unable to battle one another alone.
Photo Source: http://www.theatlantic.com/static/infocus/wwi/wwianimals/
February 6, 2015 @ 8:11 am
So many ideas and questions came to mind as I read your post.
1. Do you think the relationship between dogs and humans is changed by the wartime environment?
2. Are you thinking in terms of battlefield tasks/relationships/space? Or “war” more generally as both a homefront and a battlefied experience?
3. Do you think the tasks dogs could perform defined the relationship between human (you use man or human – but I wonder if you mean a specific group, as in enlisted soldiers?) and animal, or was there a unique human/animal relationship that defined and structured the tasks dogs performed? Or is this a question you’d like to explore?
4. Your discussion of the complexity of animal agency reminds me of similar issues faced by historians of childhood — children are independent agents and yet they are also dependent on and limited by the space/place accorded to the child in a social order that privileges adults. Defining the quality of the child’s agency and defining how the child is independent of the image of the child — problems that infiltrate that subfield of history as well as the one you work in.
5. Do you have boundaries for the research, an archive of primary sources to consult? Perhaps that will help you bring the multiple directions you seem to be going into one research path.
February 7, 2015 @ 11:11 pm
Hi Dr. Jones,
1. Yes, I definitely think the relationship between dogs and humans changes dramatically due to the wartime environment. Greater bonds are forged between man and canine due to high levels of duress and extreme circumstances.
2. I suppose I am thinking of the battlefield most readily. I am not planning on looking into the home front for this particular project.
3. This is a question I would definitely like to explore!
4. I had not thought of the similarities between animals and children–all very interesting points, thank you!
5. I have begun looking at some American and British newspapers for public reactions to war dogs. I have also found a few training manuals and contemporary books concerning war animals, as well. Right now, these types of sources are acting as the boundaries of my research.
February 8, 2015 @ 1:35 pm
I think you have a really awesome start here, Laura! I really like the directions you’re looking at and all of them seem quite interesting. I always enjoyed hearing about your project last semester and it sounds like you’re coming along really well. I don’t think you can go wrong with any of those questions, just probably will have a smidge of refining as we go like the rest of us. 🙂
February 9, 2015 @ 11:48 am
Thanks, Kate! Refining is definitely the most difficult part. Once we get past that hurdle, however, it should be smooth sailing!
February 9, 2015 @ 11:44 am
Laura,
I absolutely love your topic! I think the topis of canine agency in wartime is intriguing and relevant. Discussions of animal agency, especially dogs, is very useful and significant in the modern military. I think the best path you have described so far is the relationships between man and dog. I would say soldiers and dogs but war dogs are considered members of their units, or soldiers themselves. I wonder if this was the case in WWI or f this relationship developed out of the continued use of canines in battle. Sorry for rambling a bit, but I am anxious to hear more about your research!
February 9, 2015 @ 11:50 am
David,
Thanks for your feedback! I really like the idea of exploring the relationship between man and dog during wartime as well. I will definitely look further into the development of said relationships and whether they were an experience unique to World War I or if they developed sooner in other wars. Great idea!
February 9, 2015 @ 12:50 pm
Laura, I love that you have so many questions to ask. I am wondering something similar to David–is your treatment of dogs, combat, and soldiers unique to WWI, or did it develop during other (earlier?) conflicts as well?
February 9, 2015 @ 12:56 pm
Sara,
I am planning on looking into the uniqueness of World War I relationships. So far, I have discovered that the bonds between man and dog during wartime have continued into present day (according to Rebecca Frankel’s War Dogs) but I am anxious to see when precisely such relationships began to develop. Thanks for your input!