Can bulls be cyborgs? unmaking the logics of dispensability

Abstract

I had come to study wild boars in Wayanad in Kerala in 2023 because I had heard that wild boar-human conflict is increasing. Since Wayanad is a fertile terrain, agriculture is the mainstay of the people; however, increasing agricultural activity has caused habitat degradation, forcing animals to venture into human habitations in search of food. The same could not be said about the cows that belonged to the hostel I stayed in. There were nine cows in total—seven cows and two calves who demanded my equal attention every day. Both calves were, unfortunately, male, and it was disconcerting to know that their fate was predetermined, even though they were young, affectionate and curious about the world. Since they were going to be slaughtered, they did not even receive the dignity of names. The absence of names indicated their foreclosed fate. This essay explores the status of bulls in contemporary India, questioning whether they can be regarded as posthumanist creatures or cyborgs. It critically examines the potential of a posthumanist sensibility in framing them as taurine subjects. In doing so, it challenges the traditional binary narrative that confines their existence to either artificial insemination or slaughter.