UC Research Profile - University of Canterbury

Dr Nik Taylor

Contact

Department: Sociology and Anthropology

Email: nik.taylor@canterbury.ac.nz

Direct Dial: +64 3 3690550

Office: Elsie Locke Building 310

Language: English

My research focusses on the many and varied relationships between humans and other animals.

About

Research / Creative works

Networks

Methods & Equipment

Fields of Research

animal sociology
human-animal studies
violence to animals
domestic violence and animal abuse
ethnography and animals
gender, species and social justice
neoliberalism and knowledge production
animals and human services

Researcher Summary

(Dr.) Nik Taylor is an internationally recognized critical and public sociologist who has published over 70 articles, books and book chapters. Her research focusses on mechanisms of power and marginalisation expressed in/through human relations with other species and is informed by critical/ intersectional feminism. Nik currently teaches topics in the Human Services and Social Work program at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, that focus on human-animal violence links; scholar-advocacy; social change, and crime and deviance, particularly domestic violence and animal abuse. Nik’s latest books include Queer Entanglements (Cambridge University Press, with Damien Riggs, heather Fraser and Shoshana Rosenberg) and Rescuing Me, Rescuing You: Companion Animals and Domestic Violence (Palgrave, 2019, with Heather Fraser).

Subject Area: Disciplines

Human-Animal Studies: Human-Animal Studies
Sociology, Social Policy, Social Work, Criminology and Gender Studies: Criminology ; Gender & Sexuality ; Methodology ; Social Science ; Sociology

Research/Scholarly/Creative Works

Authored Books

Riggs D., Fraser H., Rosenberg S. and Taylor N. (2021) Queer Entanglements: Intersections of Gender, Sexuality, and Animal Companionship. Cambridge University Press.

Taylor N. and Fraser H. (2019) Companion Animals and Domestic Violence: Rescuing You, Rescuing Me. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. 222.

Hamilton L. and Taylor N. (2017) Ethnography after humanism: Power, politics and method in multi-species research. London: Palgrave. 1-210. http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-53933-5.

Fraser H. and Taylor N. (2016) Neoliberalization, Universities and the Public Intellectual Species, Gender and Class and the Production of Knowledge. Palgrave Macmillan. 142.

Hamilton L. and Taylor N. (2013) Animals at work Identity, politics and culture in work with animals. BRILL. 210.

Taylor N. (2013) Humans, Animals, and Society An Introduction to Human-animal Studies. New York: Lantern Books. 195.

Chapters

Sutton Z. and Taylor N. (2022) Between Force and freedom: Place, Space and Animals-as-pet-commodities. In Hodge P; McGregor A; Springer S; Veron O; White R (Ed.), Vegan Geographies Spaces Beyond Violence, Ethics Beyond SpeciesismLantern Press.

Taylor N. and Fraser H. (2021) Doing Feminist, Multispecies Research About Love and Abuse Within the Neoliberalised Academy in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia. Palgrave Studies in Education Research Methods: 179-193. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53857-6_12.

Fraser H. and Taylor N. (2020) Animals as domestic violence victims: A challenge to humanist social work. In Bozalek V; Pease B (Ed.), Post-Anthropocentric Social Work Critical Posthuman and New Materialist PerspectivesRoutledge Advances in Social Work.

Fraser H. and Taylor N. (2020) Critical (Animal) Social Work. In Morley C; Ablett P; Noble C; Cowden S (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Critical Pedagogies for Social Work (1 ed.)Routledge.

Fraser H. and Taylor N. (2020) Critical (animal) social work: Insights from ecofeminist and critical animal studies in the context of neoliberalism. The Routledge Handbook of Critical Pedagogies for Social Work: 296-309. http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781351002042-25.

Taylor N. and Fraser H. (2019) “The things we choose to teach are political decisions. So, embrace that”: Neoliberalism, the academy and critical animal studies educators. In Trzak A (Ed.), Teaching Liberation Essays on Social Justice, Animals, Veganism, and Education New York: Lantern Books.

Fraser H. and Taylor N. (2018) Women, Madness and Animals. In Gruen L; Probyn-Rapsey F (Ed.), Animaladies: Gender, Animals, and MadnessBloomsbury Publishing USA.

Fraser H., Taylor N. and Morley C. (2017) Social work and cross-species care: An intersectional perspective on ethics, principles and practices. In Pease B; Vreugdenhil A; Stanford S (Ed.), Critical Ethics of Care in Social Work Transforming the Politics and Practices of Caring: 229-240.Routledge.

Taylor N. and Fraser H. (2017) Slaughterhouses: The language of life, the discourse of death. The Palgrave International Handbook of Animal Abuse Studies: 179-199. http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-43183-7_9.

Taylor N. and McKenzie J. (2017) Rotten to the bone: Discourses of contamination and purity in the European horsemeat scandal. Human-Animal Studies: 54-72. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/9789004325852-004.

Taylor N. (2016) Suffering is not enough: Media depictions of violence to other animals and social change. Critical Animal and Media Studies: Communication for Nonhuman Animal Advocacy: 42-55. http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781315731674.

Fitzgerald AJ. and Taylor N. (2014) The cultural hegemony of meat and the animal industrial complex. The Rise of Critical Animal Studies: From the Margins to the Centre: 165-182.

Hamilton L. and Taylor N. (2014) Care of the underdog: Animals, culture and the creation of moral certainty in the rescue shelter. In Hamilton L; Mitchell L; Mangan A (Ed.), Contemporary Issues in ManagementEdward Elgar Publishing.

Taylor N. and Drew L. (2014) Research, resistance and activism: Animal studies scholars on the line. In Sorenson J; Nocella A (Ed.), The Critical Animal Studies ReaderPeter Lang.

Taylor N. and Signal T. (2013) Animal cruelty and other delinquency and criminality. In Brewster M; Reyes C (Ed.), Animal Cruelty and the Criminal Justice SystemCarolina Academic Press.

Taylor N. (2012) Animals , mess , method : Post-humanism , sociology and animal studies. Human-Animal Studies: 37-50.

Taylor N. (2011) Can sociology contribute to the emancipation of animals? Human-Animal Studies: 203-220.

Taylor N. and Signal T. (2009) An overview of the research. In Linzey A (Ed.), The Link Between Animal Abuse and Human Violence.

Edited Volumes

Taylor N. and Twine R. (2014) The rise of critical animal studies: From the margins to the centre. The Rise of Critical Animal Studies: From the Margins to the Centre London: Routledge. 1-286.

Taylor N; Signal T (Ed.) (2011) Theorizing Animals: Re-thinking Human-Animal Relationships. Boston and Leiden: Brill.

Journal Articles

Riggs DW., Rosenberg S., Taylor N. and Fraser H. (2023) The Role of Animals in Buffering Against Cisgenderism in and Beyond Family Contexts for Trans Young People Living in Australia. Journal of Family Violence http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10896-023-00503-z.

Fraser H. and Taylor N. (2022) Narrative feminist research interviewing with ‘inconvenient groups’ about sensitive topics: affect, iteration and assemblages. Qualitative Research 22(2): 220-235. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1468794120976075.

Riggs DW., Baum NG., Taylor N. and Beall J. (2022) Reports of Animal Abuse in Child Protection Referrals: A Study of Cases from One South Australian Service. Child Abuse Review 31(1): 91-98. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/car.2720.

Signal T., Casey A. and Taylor N. (2022) Does the Talk Match the Numbers? ProQOL and Compassion Fatigue in Animal Rescue. Traumatology http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/trm0000384.

Fraser H., Taylor N. and Riggs DW. (2021) Animals in Disaster Social Work: An Intersectional Green Perspective Inclusive of Species. British Journal of Social Work 51(5): 1739-1758. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcab143.

Lohmeyer BA. and Taylor N. (2021) War, Heroes and Sacrifice: Masking Neoliberal Violence During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Critical Sociology 47(4-5): 625-639. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0896920520975824.

Riggs DW., Taylor N., Fraser H., Donovan C. and Signal T. (2021) The Link Between Domestic Violence and Abuse and Animal Cruelty in the Intimate Relationships of People of Diverse Genders and/or Sexualities: A Binational Study. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 36(5-6): 3169-3195. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0886260518771681.

Fraser H., Bartholomaeus C., Riggs DW., Taylor N. and Rosenberg S. (2020) Service provider recognition of the significance of animal companionship among trans and cisgender women of diverse sexualities. Culture, Health and Sexuality 22(1): 16-30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2019.1568577.

Rosenberg S., Riggs DW., Taylor N. and Fraser H. (2020) ‘Being together really helped’: Australian transgender and non-binary people and their animal companions living through violence and marginalisation. Journal of Sociology http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1440783319896413.

Taylor N., Fraser H. and Riggs DW. (2020) Companion-animal-inclusive domestic violence practice: Implications for service delivery and social work. Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work 32(4): 26-39. http://dx.doi.org/10.11157/anzswj-vol32iss4id791.

Sutton Z. and Taylor N. (2019) Managing the Borders: Static/Dynamic Nature and the ‘Management’ of ‘Problem’ Species. Parallax 25(4): 379-394. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13534645.2020.1731006.

Taylor N. and Fraser H. (2019) Resisting sexism and speciesism in the social sciences: Using feminist, species-inclusive, visual methods to value the work of women and (other) animals. Gender, Work and Organization 26(3): 343-357. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gwao.12246.

Taylor N. and Fraser H. (2019) The Cow Project: Analytical and Representational Dilemmas of Dairy Farmers’ Conceptions of Cruelty and Kindness. Animal Studies Journal 8(2): 133-153. http://dx.doi.org/10.14453/asj.v8i2.10.

Taylor N., Fraser H. and Riggs DW. (2019) Domestic violence and companion animals in the context of LGBT people’s relationships. Sexualities 22(5-6): 821-836. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1363460716681476.

Taylor N., Riggs DW., Donovan C., Signal T. and Fraser H. (2019) People of Diverse Genders and/or Sexualities Caring For and Protecting Animal Companions in the Context of Domestic Violence. Violence Against Women 25(9): 1096-1115. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1077801218809942.

Riggs DW., Taylor N., Signal T., Fraser H. and Donovan C. (2018) People of Diverse Genders and/or Sexualities and Their Animal Companions: Experiences of Family Violence in a Binational Sample. Journal of Family Issues 39(18): 4226-4247. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0192513X18811164.

Signal T., Taylor N. and Maclean AS. (2018) Pampered or pariah: does animal type influence the interaction between animal attitude and empathy? Psychology, Crime and Law 24(5): 527-537. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1068316X.2017.1399394.

Signal T., Taylor N., Burke KJ. and Brownlow L. (2018) Double Jeopardy: Insurance, Animal Harm, and Domestic Violence. Violence Against Women 24(6): 718-726. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1077801217711266.

Taylor N. and Fitzgerald A. (2018) Understanding animal (ab)use: Green criminological contributions, missed opportunities and a way forward. Theoretical Criminology 22(3): 402-425. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1362480618787173.

Taylor N. and Sutton Z. (2018) For an Emancipatory Animal Sociology. Journal of Sociology 54(4): 467-487. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1440783318815335.

Taylor N., Sutton Z. and Wilkie R. (2018) A sociology of multi-species relations. Journal of Sociology 54(4): 463-466. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1440783318816214.

Fraser H. and Taylor N. (2017) In Good Company: Women, Companion Animals, and Social Work. Society and Animals 25(4): 341-361. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/15685306-12341450.

Fraser H., Taylor N. and Signal T. (2017) Young people, interspecies empathy and social work: Reflections from an RSPCA (Victoria) education program. Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work 29(3): 5-16.

Riggs DW., Due C. and Taylor N. (2017) ‘I Want to Bring Him from the Aeroplane to Here’: The Meaning of Animals to Children of Refugee or Migrant Backgrounds Resettled in Australia. Children and Society 31(3): 219-230. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/chso.12196.

Rust NA., Abrams A., Challender DWS., Chapron G., Ghoddousi A., Glikman JA., Gowan CH., Hughes C., Rastogi A. and Said A. (2017) Quantity Does Not Always Mean Quality: The Importance of Qualitative Social Science in Conservation Research. Society and Natural Resources 30(10): 1304-1310. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2017.1333661.

Signal T., Taylor N., Prentice K., McDade M. and Burke KJ. (2017) Going to the dogs: A quasi-experimental assessment of animal assisted therapy for children who have experienced abuse. Applied Developmental Science 21(2): 81-93. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2016.1165098.

Burke K., Signal T., Taylor N. and Brownlow L. (2016) Food Related Chronic Illness and Food Choice Motivations. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine 23: S172-S173.

Probyn-Rapsey F., Donaldson, S., Ioannides G., Lea T., Marsh K., Neimanis A., Potts A., Taylor N., Twine R. and Wadiwel D. (2016) A sustainable campus: The Sydney Declaration on interspecies sustainability. Animal Studies Journal 5(1): 110-151.

Riggs DW., Fraser H., Taylor N., Signal T. and Donovan C. (2016) Domestic Violence Service Providers' Capacity for Supporting Transgender Women: Findings from an Australian Workshop. British Journal of Social Work 46(8): 2374-2392. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcw110.

Rust NA. and Taylor N. (2016) Carnivores, Colonization, and Conflict: A Qualitative Case Study on the Intersectional Persecution of Predators and People in Namibia. Anthrozoos 29(4): 653-667. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2016.1228758.

Taylor N., Fraser H., Signal T. and Prentice K. (2016) Social Work, Animal-Assisted Therapies and Ethical Considerations: A Programme Example from Central Queensland, Australia. British Journal of Social Work 46(1): 135-152. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcu115.

Acutt D., Signal T. and Taylor N. (2015) Mandated reporting of suspected animal harm by australian veterinarians: Community attitudes. Anthrozoos 28(3): 437-447. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2015.1052276.

Daly B., Taylor N. and Signal T. (2014) Pups and babes: Quantifying sources of difference in emotional and behavioral reactions to accounts of human and animal abuse. Anthrozoos 27(2): 205-217. http://dx.doi.org/10.2752/175303714X13903827487485.

Kemp K., Signal T., Botros H., Taylor N. and Prentice K. (2014) Equine Facilitated Therapy with Children and Adolescents Who Have Been Sexually Abused: A Program Evaluation Study. Journal of Child and Family Studies 23(3): 558-566. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10826-013-9718-1.

Taylor N. and Hamilton L. (2014) Investigating the other: Considerations on multi-species research. Studies in Qualitative Methodology 13: 251-271. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/S1042-319220140000013016.

Kavanagh PS., Signal TD. and Taylor N. (2013) The Dark Triad and animal cruelty: Dark personalities, dark attitudes, and dark behaviors. Personality and Individual Differences 55(6): 666-670. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2013.05.019.

Kemp K., Signal T., Taylor N. and Lazarus K. (2013) Whispering to horses: Childhood sexual abuse, depression and the efficacy of EAT. Sexual Abuse in Australia and New Zealand: An Interdisciplinary Journal 5(1): 24-24.

Signal T., Taylor N. and Ghea V. (2013) Disclosures of intentional animal cruelty bu children: Are psychologists paying attention? Human-Animal Interaction Bulletin 2(1): 15-18.

Taylor N., Signal T. and Richards E. (2013) A different cut? comparing attitudes toward animals and propensity for aggression within two primary industry cohorts-farmers and meatworkers. Society and Animals 21(4): 395-413. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/15685306-12341284.

Hamilton L. and Taylor N. (2012) Ethnography in evolution: adapting to the animal “other” in organizations. Journal of Organizational Ethnography 1(1): 43-51. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/20466741211220642.

Prentice K., Signal T. and Taylor N. (2012) What's the buzz? Bumblebees - a therapeutic preschool for abused children. Sexual Abuse in Australia and New Zealand: An Interdisciplinary Journal 4(1): 23-33.

Rice S., Washington P., Signal T. and Taylor N. (2012) An analysis of domestic violence presenting to FRC's at intake and assessment. Australasian Dispute Resolution Journal 23: 89-89.

Hazel SJ., Signal TD. and Taylor N. (2011) Can teaching veterinary and animal-science students about animal welfare affect their attitude toward animals and human-related empathy? Journal of Veterinary Medical Education 38(1): 74-83. http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/jvme.38.1.74.

Taylor N. (2011) Anthropomorphism and the animal subject. Human-Animal Studies 12: 265-279. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/ej.9789004187948.i-348.61.

Taylor N. (2011) Criminology and Human-Animal Violence Research: The Contribution and the Challenge. Critical Criminology 19(3): 251-263. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10612-010-9124-6.

Taylor N. (2010) Animal shelter emotion management: A case of in situ hegemonic resistance? Sociology 44(1): 85-101. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0038038509351629.

Taylor N. and Signal T. (2010) Lock 'em up and throw away the key? Community opinion regarding animal abuse penalties. Australian Animal Protection Law Journal 2(1): 1-17.

Arbour R., Signal T. and Taylor N. (2009) Teaching kindness: The promise of humane education. Society and Animals 17(2): 136-148. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156853009X418073.

Taylor N. and Signal TD. (2009) Pet, pest, profit: Isolating differences in attitudes towards the treatment of animals. Anthrozoos 22(2): 129-135. http://dx.doi.org/10.2752/175303709X434158.

Taylor N. and Signal TD. (2009) Willingness to pay: Australian consumers and "on the farm" welfare.. Journal of applied animal welfare science : JAAWS 12(4): 345-359. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10888700903163658.

Taylor N. and Signal T. (2008) Throwing the baby out with the bathwater: Towards a sociology of the human-animal abuse 'link'? SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH ONLINE 13(1-2).

Taylor N. and Signal T. (2008) Throwing the baby out with the bathwater: Towards a sociology of the human-animal abuse 'link'? Sociological Research Online 13(1-2): 43-53. http://dx.doi.org/10.5153/sro.1661.

Signal TD. and Taylor N. (2007) Attitude to animals and empathy: Comparing animal protection and general community samples. Anthrozoos 20(2): 125-130. http://dx.doi.org/10.2752/175303707X207918.

Signal TD. and Taylor N. (2007) Attitude to animals and empathy: Comparing animal protection and general community samples. ANTHROZOOS 20(2): 125-130. http://dx.doi.org/10.2752/175303707X207918.

Taylor N. (2007) Human-animal studies: A challenge to social boundaries. Proteus (Shippensburg, Pa.) 24(1): 1-1.

Taylor N. (2007) Human-animal studies: A challenge to social boundaries? Proteus 24(1).

Taylor N. (2007) Never an it: intersubjectivity and the creation of personhood in an animal shelter. Qualitative Sociology Review 3(1).

Jones G., Jenkinson C., Taylor N., Mills A. and Kennedy S. (2006) Measuring quality of life in women with endometriosis: Tests of data quality, score reliability, response rate and scaling assumptions of the Endometriosis Health Profile Questionnaire. Human Reproduction 21(10): 2686-2693. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/humrep/del231.

Signal TD. and Taylor N. (2006) Attitudes to animals in the animal protection community compared to a normative community sample. Society and Animals 14(3): 265-274. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156853006778149181.

Signal TD. and Taylor N. (2006) Attitudes to animals: Demographics within a community sample. Society and Animals 14(2): 147-157. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156853006776778743.

Taylor N. and Signal TD. (2006) Community demographics and the propensity to report animal cruelty. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 9(3): 201-210. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15327604jaws0903_2.

Taylor N., Signal T. and Stark T. (2006) Domestic violence, child abuse and companion animal harm: Service provider perspectives. Journal of the Home Economics Institute of Australia 13(1): 2-2.

Taylor N. and Signal TD. (2005) Empathy and attitudes to animals. Anthrozoos 18(1): 18-27. http://dx.doi.org/10.2752/089279305785594342.

Taylor N. (2004) In it for the nonhuman animals: Animal welfare, moral certainty, and disagreements. Society and Animals 12(4): 317-339. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1568530043068047.

Affiliations

New Zealand Centre for Human-Animal Studies (NZCHAS) (Teaching/Research Organisation): Co-Director

Key Methodologies

ethnography
interviews
narrative analysis
feminist methodologies