Based on participant observation this article investigates the role and function of emotion management in an animal shelter. Disavowing traditional approaches which confirm the epistemic privilege of researchers, this article instead, takes the in situ, performative aspect of emotion displays as its evidence base. After discussing the methodological implications of such a stand, this article argues that one of the primary functions of emotion talk in animal shelters is to resist hegemonic beliefs regarding the taken for granted human—animal divide.
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