Natalia Ciecierska-Holmes

I am on a joint PhD program between the University of Adelaide and the University of Nottingham. For this project, I’m combining research interests in food politics, human-animal relations and ethical consumption. I received an MA in European Studies from the University of Bath and the Humboldt University, Germany, graduating with distinction in 2018. To prepare for my PhD project, I decided to do a second MA in Social Science Research Training at the Humboldt University. My recent studies have focused on agri-food systems and feminist political ecology, examining production-consumption linkages, alternative food networks and human-nature relations.

PhD title: ‘Raw Feeding for Dogs in the UK and Australia: A Social and Ethical Cross-Cultural Comparison’
This inter-disciplinary project explores the controversial phenomenon of feeding raw meat-based diets to dogs, which has become increasingly popular in recent years. By examining the values and practices of raw feeders who themselves eat plant-based diets, it seeks to understand the social and ethical aspects of decision-making around food and health. In order to capture ‘ethical relating’ within animal feeding, the theoretical chapter extends One Health literature by drawing on research from human-animal studies and agri-food studies. Adopting a qualitative comparative approach and more-than-talk methodologies, the empirical fieldwork will involve online interviews and food diaries with UK dog owners and in-person ‘go-along’ interviews with Australian dog owners. The project is relevant for the role of human-companion animal relations in shifting dietary practices in the Anthropocene, which is of interest to veterinary professionals, One Health organisations, and those promoting animal welfare.