Anthropo-éthologie des non-humains politiques

The temptation to seek in primates our own origin is still found in ethology. More broadly speaking, we see that the animal kingdom is often used as an anthropological operator of identity, using either similitude or inversion or contrast. The observation data most often reflect values, or even preferences, concerning modes of social organization. However, this observation should not lead to relativism. On the contrary, it invites us to envisage ethological knowledge as constructing humans and animals at the same time, together. This article sets out to explore the concrete conditions in which this kind of knowledge can be constructed. © 2006 SAGE Publications.