Toward a Rhetoric of Multispecies Justice

Situated in the intersection of rhetoric and critical animal studies, this article advances a multispeciecs approach to rhetoric. A rhetoric of multispecies justice, I argue, facilitates just futures across species by considering both the shared and diverging vantage points, lifeworlds, and interests of marginalized people and animals. I examine the rhetorical practices pro-democracy Hongkongers deploy to advocate for peaceful coexistence with native wild boars. What makes the rhetorical tactics of Hong Kong boar advocates especially noteworthy is their multispecies approach that leverages the shared struggles they face with wild boars under authoritarianism to advocate for cross-species mutual interests. Their rhetorical performances, I argue, exemplify how deliberative empathy, and spatial, embodied, and visual rhetorics can be mobilized to promote multispecies justice.