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Forum on Decentering the Human
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  3. Members' submissions organised by theme

Members' submissions organised by theme

Legal Philosophy and Critical Theory on Anthropocentrism

In 2024, Edward Elgar Publishing published the book, Non-Human Rights: Critical Perspectives, co-edited by Dr Alexis Alvarez-Nakagawa and Costas Douzinas. Dr Alvarez Nakagawa contributed two chapters to the book: ‘A Critical Introduction to Non Human Rights’ and ‘Who is the Subject of (Non)Human Rights?’

Professor Kathryn Yusoff published ‘The Anthropocene and the Inhumanities’ in the Annals of Association of American Geographers, as part of the Anthropocene special issue (Vol. 111, Issue 3, 2020, pp. 663-676.)

Our members, Professor Jeff Sebo and Professor Joshua Gellers, have extensive publications reflecting on anthropocentrism and reconstructing legal theories on non-humans.

Professor Jeff Sebo:

  • The Moral Circle, WW Norton 2025
  • ‘Are Individuals or Ecological Wholes What Matter? Yes.’ (Oxford Public Philosophy, 2024)
  • Jeff Sebo and Luke Roelofs, ‘Overlapping Minds and the Hedonic Calculus’ (2024) 118 Philosophical Studies 1487. 
  • ‘A Critique of the Kantian Theory of Indirect Duties to Animals’ (2005) 2 Animal Liberation Philosophy & Policy 54.

Professor Joshua Gellers:

Our co-director, Dr John Adenitire, has a forthcoming book in 2025, co-authored with Raffael Fasel: Fundamental Rights for Non-Humans: Foundations, Flaws, and Futures (Hart Publishing, forthcoming, 2025).

Animal Protection

The field of animal protection addresses the ethical considerations, legal frameworks, and practical challenges associated with protecting animal well-being. Our members contribute to advancing discourse on animals’ legal status, their rights, and the impact of human actions on their wellbeing and the environment. This section highlights recent publications and ongoing research by our members that focus on developing a more morally responsible approach to animals in both local and global contexts.

Professor Jeff Sebo

  • Saving Animals, Saving Ourselves (Oxford University Press, 2022).
  • Chimpanzee Rights (with co-authors), Routledge, 2018.
  • Co-authored with Christopher Schlottmann, Food, Animals, and the Environment: An Ethical Approach (Routledge, 2018).
  • ‘Climate Change, Public Health, and Animal Welfare: Towards a One Health Approach to Reducing Animal Agriculture’s Climate Footprint’ (with 6 co-authors) (2024) Frontiers in Animal Science
  • Co-authored with Laurie Sellars, ‘How Should Treatment of Animals Beyond the Lab Factor into Institutional Review?’ (2024) 26 AMA Journal of Ethics 716.
  • ‘Effective Animal Advocacy’ in Andrew Linzey and Clair Linzey (eds), The Routledge Handbook of Animal Ethics (Routledge, 2019).

Dr John Adenitire:

  • Co-authored with Raffael Fasel, Animals and the Constitution: Towards Sentience Based Constitutionalism (Oxford University Press, forthcoming 2025)
  • Are Animals our Equals? (Res Publica, forthcoming 2026)
  • John Adenitire (ed), ‘Book Symposium on Raffael Fasel’s More Equal Than Others: Humans and the Rights of Other Animals (Oxford University Press 2024)’ (Res Publica, forthcoming 2026).
  • ‘Are There Any Animal Rights?’ in John Adenitire and Raffael Fasel, Fundamental Rights for Non-Humans: Foundations, Flaws, and Futures (Hart, forthcoming 2026).
  • ‘The Rule of Law for All Sentient Animals’ (2022) 1 Canadian Journal of Law & Jurisprudence 1.

Professor Catherine Nash:

  • ‘Valuing difference: How breed matters for animal lives and relations’ (2024) 7(2) Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space 702. 
  • ‘Breed wealth: Origins, encounter value and the international love of a breed.’ (2020) 45(4) Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 849. 
  • ‘Kinship of different kinds: Horses and people in Iceland’ (2020) 12(1) Humanimalia 118.

Environmental and Geopolitical Issues

Environmental and geopolitical studies explore the dynamic relationships between natural systems and political structures, often within the context of global challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss. Our members investigate topics such as environmental democracy, sustainable development, and the impact of legal and policy frameworks on the environment and marginalized communities.

Professor Joanne Yao, ‘Borderscape Antarctica: The Uncanny Geographical Imaginaries of Terra Australis Incognita’ (2024) 114 Political Geography.

Dr Sasha Litvintseva, Geological Filmmaking (Open Humanities Press 2023).

Professor Joshua Gellers:

  • ‘Sustainable Development Goals and Environmental Justice: Realization through Disaggregation?’ (2019) 36(2) Wisconsin International Law Journal 276.
  • ‘Toward Environmental Democracy? Procedural Environmental Rights and Environmental Justice’ (2018) 18(1) Global Environmental Politics 99.

Professor Kathryn Yusoff

  • Geologic Life: Inhuman Intimacies and the Geophysics of Race (Duke University Press 2024).
  • ‘Geotrauma, or Geology as a Praxis of Struggle’ (2023) 15(3) Environmental Humanities 284.

AI and Justice

As artificial intelligence increasingly shapes society, ethical and legal questions arise around AI’s role in justice and the rights of non-human entities. Prof Joshua Geller and Prof Jeff Sebo contribute critical analyses on the implications of AI for environmental ethics, human rights, and the broader socio-political landscape, exploring AI’s potential to transform, challenge, or reinforce existing justice paradigms.

Professor Joshua Gellers:  

  • Rights for Robots: Artificial Intelligence, Animal and Environmental Law (Routledge, 2020)
  • ‘AI, Design, and More-than-Human Justice’ in Matthew Hurlstone (ed), Handbook on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2024)
  • ‘Artificial Intelligence and international Humanitarian Law’ in Christopher Lawlor (ed), Handbook on the Politics and Governance of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2023)
  • ‘Not Ecological Enough: A Commentary on an Eco-Relational Approach in Robot Ethics’ (2024) 37(59) Philosophy & Technology 58.
  • Professor Jeff Sebo: Co-authored with Robert Long, ‘Moral Consideration for AI Systems by 2030’ (2023) AI and Ethics

Media and Public Engagement

Beyond academic publications, our members engage with wider audiences through media and public platforms to disseminate their research on non-human rights, animal welfare, environmental justice, and AI ethics. This section showcases some of their recent public contributions.

Professor Jeff Sebo: Media publications available online.

Professor Joshua Geller:

  • ‘The Tortured Politics of Nonhuman Personhood: AI, Animals, Embryos, and Nature’ (2024) Environmental Rights Review (blog post)
  • ‘The Flawed Case Against More-than-Human Rights’ (2023) Open Global Rights (blog post)
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