More‐than‐human emotions: Multispecies emotional labour in the tourism industry

Abstract

The concept of emotional labour has been subject to critique, evaluation, development and extension over the last 35 years, but it remains firmly anthropocentric. This article begins to address this shortcoming by illustrating some of the productive potential of extending the concept of emotional labour to include more-than-human and multispecies perspectives.Organisations are not solely human phenomena, but research usually fails to consider the role of nonhumans in work in contemporary capitalism. Using the example of trail horses in tourism, I argue that some nonhuman animals should be considered workers, and that they do perform emotional labour in service to commercial organisations. More-than-human and multispecies perspectives capture some of the complexities of everyday organisational practices, and can inform feminist research attuned to the experiences of marginalised others, human and nonhuman.

Human–Equine Tourism and Nature-Based Solutions: Exploring Psychological Well-Being Through Transformational Experiences

“…Equestrianism requires high levels of commitment, including time, emotion, and financial input, and so often becomes an important marker of individual and collective identity (Dashper, 2017;. Dashper (2019) argues that our leisure lives are often richer because of nonhuman animals, who play, relax, compete and work with and for us as a result of more-than-human encounters within a multispecies world. mETHod A multispecies ethnographic and posthumanistic approach was undertaken toward human-equine relational well-being within tourism.…”

“…Previously human-animal relations have focused around human consumption and utilization of animals for peoples' benefit; however, more recently, authors such as those indicated above, as well as Fox (2006), Bertella (2014), Davis and Maurstad (2016), Danby et al (2019), Dashper (2019), Dashper and Brymer (2019) have began to realize the significance of animals in their own right, as sentient beings, worthy of moral consideration. The shifting role of the horse in society is acknowledged by Dashper (2012Dashper ( , 2017 and more recently by the works of Dashper and Brymer (2019) and Sturød et al (2019) indicating that once it was considered a vital partner to humans in terms of agriculture and warfare as well particularly with reference to transportation; however nowadays, the horse plays a predominant partner within sport, leisure, and tourism, and horses are becoming increasingly popular as companion and therapy animals (Wolframm et al, 2013).…”

“…The specific focus on horses is evident within this article, due to the fact that throughout history they have proven to have had varied roles within society. In contemporary society, the horse is a significant actor within the leisure, tourism, and events landscape, acting as a NBS, the result being a companion and a substitute for family members; furthermore, they contribute immensely toward emotional recreation (Danby et al, 2019;Kline et al, 2015;Notzke, 2019) although the body of work is beginning to formulate (Buchmann, 2017;Danby, 2018;Danby & Hannam, 2016;Dashper, 2015Dashper, , 2017Dashper, , 2019Dashper & Brymer, 2019;Gilbert & Gillett, 2014;Pickel-Chavalier, 2015;Notzke, 2019;Sturød et al, 2019).…”

“…posTHumanisT approacH To Human-animal rElaTions Various theoretical approaches link to a rethinking of the focus on humancenteredness and the complexities associated with humans and animals (Danby et al, 2019;Dashper, 2019;Fox, 2006;Philo & Wilbert, 2000). Posthumanist theory challenges the singular focus of human subjects and blurs boundaries between the human and nonhuman.…”

Multispecies leisure: human-animal interactions in leisure landscapes

“…There is a growing body of work that considers human-equine leisure, and although very different to that between humans and dogs, the relationship between humans and horses is also long, close and complex. Numerous equestrian practices could usefully be considered multispecies leisure, and research in this field covers multiple activities ranging from equestrian tourism (Buchmann, 2017;Dashper, 2019;Gilbert & Gillett, 2014;Sigurðardóttir & Helgadóttir, 2015) to competitive sport (Dashper, 2012;Gilbert & Gillett, 2012;Wipper, 2000) to non-competitive interactions and relationships (Dashper, 2017a;Hockenhull, Birke, & Creighton, 2010;Maurstad, Davis, & Cowles, 2013). Human-equine leisure practices and associated experiences can provide hedonistic activities and assist with the emergence and development of meaningful relationships.…”