Sue Donaldson and Will Kymlicka, "Animals and the Right to Politics" (Oxford UP, 2026)

New Books in Law · Jul 17, 2026 · 1h 42m

The assumption that only humans can engage in politics—that only humans are 'zoon politikon'—is foundational to the Western tradition of political philosophy. While there is increasing recognition of animals' moral status (both within moral philosophy and at the level of public opinion), animals are not recognized as political subjects. This carefully researched but accessibly written volume—following on from the authors' earlier book Zoopolis—argues that animals too have a right to politics: a right to be recognized as political subjects and agents, and as members of political communities…