Gazing at Other Animals: A Deconstruction of the Anthropocentric Gaze in the Representation of Apex Predators

Abstract

This research deconstructs representations of large apex predator animals within film and wildlife documentaries, examining the influence of mainstream narratives on public perceptions of wildlife behaviour. Through the cultural studies field of Critical Animal Media Studies (CAMS), the research considers the influence of film genres, and the plethora of representations disseminated to the public through film and wildlife documentaries and the influence these representations have upon a human understanding of non-human animals. Animals have appeared throughout the media as variations of the ‘other’, constructed and produced as a result of anthropocentric ideas. This research analyses apex predator representations within the context of anthropocentrism, a perspective that places the human at the centre of experience and knowledge. Anthropocentrism is a concept integrally linked to the human gaze, a mode of viewing that produces an anthropocentric perception of non-human animals. Using CAMS literature, this research also establishes parallels between non-human animals and historically oppressed groups, using the theory of the male gaze developed by British feminist film theorist Laura Mulvey to consider the impact of a subjugating gaze on perceptions of the non-human animal in films and wildlife documentaries. These perspectives will be elucidated and applied in three case studies: The Monstrous Other, The Anthropomorphic Other and The Companion Other, focusing on representations of sharks, bears, and wolves in mainstream media. The selected representations articulate how the anthropocentric gaze has influenced a cultural understanding and knowledge of apex predators by classifying such representations into three different iterations of the ‘other’. The research hypothesis suggests that if we critically view representations of apex predators using CAMS and a critique of anthropocentric methods, then a more accurate perception of animals may be established in the visuals and narratives seen in films and wildlife documentaries. The practice-based research presents a series of approaches and strategies for filmmakers that deconstruct anthropocentric modes of looking at apex predators. The research suggests that in order to improve viewers’ understanding of non-human animals, filmmakers should reject human centred representations and alternatively adopt more rigorous strategies and modes of thought that resist the hierarchical dynamics of the anthropocentric gaze