If the Camel Could Speak – Reflections on Trade, Fables, and Global Connections

The introduction to the volume "Animal Trade Histories in the Indian Ocean World" opens with a reference to an Aesop’s fable about a merchant and his camel, capturing the essence of human-animal relationships in trade. The camel, like many other animals, was not just a transporter of goods but a living being with its own needs and rights, often overlooked in the history of commerce.

Whilst we have been seeing tremendous transformation and unimaginable speed for the movement of goods, we remain attached to symbols of the past that more meaningfully connect us to human history. Why might the camel be more closely associated with trade than a fuel-propelled cargo ship, container, or any other innovation of modernity? This humble yet resilient creature, capable of enduring harsh environments and carrying vast loads, symbolises the endurance of trade itself. It takes us back to a time when trade routes, and their original facilitators, played a critical role in allowing commerce to reach meaningful volumes for their era.

We flourish because of oceans and nature – the silent foundations of technological progress.

Yet, as we rethink our relationship with the natural world, it is essential to understand how domestication fundamentally reshaped both human societies and the natural world. The domestication of animals like camels, cattle, and sheep enabled the expansion of trade networks, agriculture, and human settlement, but it also came at a significant ecological cost. By transforming landscapes, altering ecosystems, and concentrating power in the hands of those who controlled these animals, domestication shifted the balance of life on Earth.

Are we destined to become hostages of our own unrestrained power? What needs to be done so humanity can find the moral threads pointing to safer paths?

Recognising the intrinsic value of animals beyond their commercial roles is crucial to building more ethical and sustainable trade practices that respect the interconnectedness of all living beings. Animals are not merely commodities or symbols, but sentient beings with their own lives, experiences, and connections to the ecosystems they inhabit. Recognising this intrinsic worth is essential for developing more ethical and sustainable trade practices that respect the rights of all living beings.

Searching for meaning in the cosmos, being on the same boat with animals and nature

The importance of nonhuman actors in trade extends beyond terrestrial environments. "Maritime Animals: Ships, Species, Stories" (Ed. Kaori Nagai, Penn State University Press, 2023) explores the diverse roles that animals have played in global trade, focusing not only on their economic value but also on their cultural and symbolic significance. This volume highlights how animals, from livestock and scientific specimens to working animals and pets, have shaped human trade networks, influenced cultural exchanges, and contributed to the development of global economies. It challenges the anthropocentric view of history, inviting us to reconsider the complex, interdependent relationships between human and non-human life in the shaping of global trade.

Trying to understand natural world is essential for humanity's survival

As Martha Chaiklin’s article "The Merchant's Ark: Live Animal Gifts in Early Modern Dutch-Japanese Relations" illustrates, animals have also been used as powerful symbols in political and diplomatic exchanges, often reducing them to mere markers of status and power. This perspective, while historically significant, risks ignoring the deeper, more meaningful connections that exist between humans and the natural world.

The fact of hunting in the modern age raises questions about the persistence of practices that seem out of place in a world of advanced technologies and scientific understanding. It reflects deep inconsistencies in our relationship with nature and an unwillingness to confront the realities of our modern world.

Darwin’s theory of evolution, while transformative, also sparked a wave of political and social interpretations that stretched far beyond the biological realm. It inspired not only profound scientific insights but also more troubling ideologies, including social Darwinism and racial hierarchies, which justified colonial conquest and the subjugation of entire cultures. The division of sciences that followed this era further reinforced these patterns, isolating the study of life from broader philosophical and moral inquiry.

The scientific revolution, marked by Newtonian physics, swung the pendulum from an Earth-centered cosmos to a human-centered universe of measurable forces. While this shift enabled humanity to understand and manipulate the physical world with unprecedented precision, it also reinforced the illusion that humans are separate from, and superior to, the rest of nature. This created a framework where progress is measured by control and consumption, rather than by coexistence and respect for the intrinsic value of life. In this sense, the so-called 'age of man' is better understood as the age of technological dominance, where humanity's deeper ethical responsibilities were overshadowed by the pursuit of material power.

Ironically, what we now call the 'anthropocentric' period has little to do with genuine humanism and more to do with the unchecked expansion of technical power and industrial capability. This shift was partly driven by the division of the sciences, which prioritised mechanistic explanations over moral and ethical considerations, reducing life to a series of quantifiable phenomena.

Sir Isaac Newton presiding over a scientific meeting

This idea finds a striking visual metaphor in the image of anthropomorphic animals gathered for a solemn event, perhaps a funeral. It captures the uneasy tension between the natural and the engineered, a world where species boundaries blur and the lines between human and non-human life are erased. In the age of CRISPR and genetic engineering, this metaphor feels particularly apt – a reminder that our scientific ambitions can reshape the very fabric of life, creating beings that challenge our definitions of nature, life, and moral responsibility.

As we push the boundaries of what is biologically possible, we risk losing sight of the intrinsic value of living beings, reducing them to mere components in our technological projects. This echoes the broader themes of animalisation and dehumanisation, where life itself becomes a resource to be controlled, commodified, and ultimately consumed. In this context, the image serves as a stark warning – a reflection on the potential costs of our scientific ambitions if left unchecked.

In search of new meaning and depth

Rather than slipping back into the mindset of the colonial era, we should seek a more enlightened path, one that values the intrinsic worth of all living beings. This means moving beyond the simplistic animalisation of the 'other,' which has historically been used to justify conquest and violence. Instead, we should aim to understand both human and non-human life in all its diversity, recognising that our shared survival depends on mutual respect and coexistence. This is why it is crucial to reflect on the role of humanity as trustees of the living world, acknowledging our responsibility to protect and nurture the ecosystems we depend on.

The upcoming Rethinking Fables in the Age of the Environmental Crisis conference, funded by the AHRC, aims to explore innovative approaches to the fable genre, bringing together leading thinkers like Vinciane Despret, Susan McHugh, and Suniti Namjoshi. This final gathering at the University of Kent in 2025 will feature storytelling, academic discussions, and creative reflections on the role of fables in a changing world.

For more information about the Rethinking Fables in the Age of the Environmental Crisis conference, including tickets and program details, visit the official event page

The Seamless Trade logo, which features a camel, draws on the deep historical connections between animals and trade. The camel is not merely a practical symbol, but a powerful representation of the endurance, resilience, and adaptability that have defined global commerce for centuries. It reflects the ancient trade routes that connected distant civilisations long before the advent of steamships, railways, and containerisation. The camel's ability to thrive in harsh conditions and carry significant loads over long distances made it a crucial facilitator of early trade, and it remains a fitting symbol for a global trade network that seeks to bridge diverse cultures and economies in a complex, interconnected world.

The camel also embodies the spirit of interconnection, reminding us that trade is not merely a transactional act, but a complex web of cultural and ecological impacts. While trade has historically enabled the exchange of ideas, values, and technologies, it has also driven significant ecological disruption. The extraction of natural resources, habitat destruction, and the long-term impacts on biodiversity are often overlooked in discussions about the benefits of global commerce. Recognising this broader context is essential for building a more ethical and responsible approach to trade that respects the interconnectedness of all living systems.