Using Visual Sociology Methods to Study the Relationship Between Dogs and Humans

Abstract

Human interaction with animals has become increasingly significant in the contemporary everyday life of individuals.  A decisive factor for this is loneliness. This situation has allowed for an unprecedented account of nonverbal communication, in its quantitative as well as qualitative dimensions.  In the past as today, it is necessary to do a thorough sociological analysis by rejecting the Cartesian assumption that the absence of language corresponds with an absence of intelligence. Communication occurs between interactive subjects however, whenever they share culture, emotions and historical contexts.  Our research argues that with visual data, interactions between human and non-humans, who socialize and share culture, is grounded in a common yet non-verbal language.