Who cares about lab rodents?: Humanities and social sciences help advance "cultures of care" around laboratory animal science and welfare

Abstract

Rodents are widely seen as a commensal pest species and an unwelcome addition to human society. Consequently, caring about mice and rats—relative to more charismatic species, such as cats or dogs—is less commonly a focus of public concern. Yet, in discussions around rodents in research, questions of care are prominent. This prompts the question, who cares about rodents in research? To answer this, we draw on recent research from across the humanities and social sciences that seeks to better understand the social aspects of laboratory animal science and welfare. Care comes in and out of focus in complicated ways. We unpack some of these below, first introducing the background and relevance of work in the humanities and social sciences to laboratory animal research, followed by an exploration of how care operates in policy, in practice, and in relation to different publics.

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ORCID for Emma Roe: orcid.org/0000-0003-4674-2133

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