I have to admit in many ways this The Animal Turn Merch store is an ambivalent place for me. I rarely buy new stuff. My laptop and phone are so old they no longer have enough space for the apps on them and most of my clothing comes from thrift stores, so launching a merch store feels a bit like engaging in the “politics of production” that Dinesh Wadiwel so lucidly writes about in his latest book Animals and Capital. What we buy and how matters. What we produce and how matters too. It is this contention that stopped me from launching a merch store for a long time. I did not want a store that was unnecessarily producing “stuff” and I certainly didn’t want a store that was supporting trades that treat humans and animals poorly.
Teemill, the place who produces the content found in this store, has a good track record in terms of how it obtains its materials and produces it. The merchandise found in this store is more expensive as a result of better labour laws and more sustainability sourced materials. But, lets be honest, nothing made is without its impact.
I am also proud of this store. It somehow feels like a coming to age of the podcast, a mark of its growing professionalism and of the growing space that The Animal Turn is creating for academics and artists to express their dedication and commitment to animals. The messages on the shirts and sweaters are subtle, but political “Animals Matter”, Marvel at the Animals in the Multispecies City, Making, Hearing, and Experiencing Sound Beyond Human Ranges. Rebecca Shen’s incredible art work on The Animal Highlight make the products attractive and with any luck their coupling with facts and messages about animals helps people think more nuanced and political ways about human-animal relations.
The store was also born of my personal situation. After completing my PhD and moving to Vienna I have been jumping between jobs and mostly unemployed. I would like to dedicate more time to the podcast and to animal advocacy and having an online store seems to be an avenue that can generate some revenue to help me and the others who are increasingly volunteering their time with the show. Creating content for The Animal Turn takes time and I am trying to find was of paying people without constantly asking for donations . It is a tangible way to help the podcast and the people who make the content possible.
I stand by my motto, if you don’t need it don’t buy it. And if you do need it, look for it second hand or refurbish it. These options are better for animals and better for the planet. But if you are going to buy something then take the time to do some research and see what its impacts are.
Buying something from our store is not without it environmental and social impacts. Products found here are made with animals, the environment and people in mind and the profits made from them go either directly to the show or one of the non-profits who we have dedicated some merchandise to (See for example the Vine Sanctuary Prints and the Advocating for All Birds series).
In this season of purchasing and buying if you feel compelled to get something new then why not let it be something that supports our show and advocates for animals.
Thank you for listening to and supporting the show!
Take care,
Claudia
Comments