Sociological discourse of the domestic animals status transformation in the human-animal relations
Authors:   Lviv Polytechnic National University, Мychka Mariia-Roksoliana , Shkoliar Mariana 
Published: June 2023

Background: The topic of human-animal relationship has been gaining more and more popularity in recent years in the Western scientific discourse, but there are not so many studies and scientific works.You can find only isolated works and empirical investigations on this topic in the Ukrainian scientific space, although the role that pets play in the life of a modern person is quite important. Purpose: justification of modern trends in human-animal relations through the prism of sociology. Methods: the methods of analysis, synthesis, systematization and generalization were the main ones in the work with the primary sources on the topic of the publication, which made it possible to determine the features of various approaches to the study of important aspects of the human – domestic animal relationship. The method of secondary analysis of sociological research made it possible to reveal the current situation regarding the practices of interaction between people and domestic animals. Results: Current aspects of the study of the pet`s role in people's lives have been clarified. The evolution of a person's attitude towards an animal in a historical-cultural section from an object (utilitarian attitude) to a subject, a partner in interaction (animal-companion, animal-friend, animal-child, etc.) is considered. The mechanism of changing the status of a domestic animal through the prism of the phenomenological paradigm is substantiated: the attitude towards animals depends on the framework of perception of their status and essence, which can be the values, norms and rules adopted in society or in a certain environment in a certain period. The factors that contributed to the change of the specified norms and rules of interaction were identified, including: the spread of humanism and posthumanism values, urbanization, the tendency to anthropomorphize animals, etc., The methodological foundations of B. Latour's actor-network theory were used to explain the subjectivity status of domestic animals. According to it, things (in our case, animals) are not only passive agents of interaction, not only exposed to the influence of a person, but also exert an influence on him. This means, that they are partners in a network of interactions. The process of domestic animals status transformation is illustrated on the basis of the social construction stages of reality by P. Berger and T. Luсkmann. Social, racial, and demographic characteristics of social practices related to pets are explored. Conclusion: The topic of interaction between domestic animals and people is not sufficiently disclosed in the sociological discourse, since interest in it began quite recently. Scientists were motivated to intensify research on this topic by changes in the attitude towards the animals that live nearby. From consumerism to partnership. This led to a change in the utilitarian value of animals, which began to be determined by feelings and emotions. This situation became possible as a result of the transformations of the value dimension of society, the spread of the philosophy of animals treatment, the principles of posthumanism. As well as the aggravation of the modern person needs to interact with animals, experience "live", real emotions and feelings (love , affection, devotion, etc.) in the world of technologies and rational relations. Keywords: sociology, pet, pets` status transformation, subjectivity of pets.