On Nonhuman Agency

Abstract The concept of nonhuman agency is a contentious issue in historical discourse, provoking disagreement due to its loose definition. The lack of a consistent definition for the term has led to varied and contradictory interpretations, sometimes rendering it counterproductive. Diverse theoretical models across disciplines engage questions of nonhuman agency, spanning Indigenous methodologies, actor-network theory, and new materialisms. Exploration of early modern scientific study of animals reveals the importance of rooting theories of nonhuman influence in concrete historical processes rather than abstractions and within the context of period actors’ categories. Challenging the centrality of nonhuman agency in historical discussions prompts a deliberate consideration of its role for historians, suggesting alternative ways of valuing and analyzing past human entanglements with nonhumans, and questioning whether agency must remain so central to discussions of the more-than-human.