Healing Dialogues in Subalternity: The Canine-Human Bond and its Psycho-Emotional Consequences in Situations of Male Violence

Abstract

Objective. This research aims to delimit the psychoemocional capacities of the dog-human bond in situations of sexist violence, establishing a relational basis on which future research can work. Materials And Method. To achieve these objectives, I use part of a broader ethnographic research that collects general testimonies about the link between both species, using in this particular case fragments of the in-depth interviews carried out, which occupy a central place both in this research and in the general Project from which they arise. Results. I analyzed the informants’ testimonies about the emotional lives shared with the dog, highlighting the ones in sexist aggression context, so we can compare them with the cultural and symbolic structure where the inequal power relations are generated. Conclusions. Using this analysis we will be able to see how the subalternity of both parts merge and dialogue, generating intimacy spaces highly valued by both species, particularly the woman gets emotional support from another being, allowing her to make affective bonds. This emotional bond will determine how woman and dog live under violence situations.