The Animal Turn and Byzantine Studies: historiographical trends and future directions

This article surveys the development of Byzantine Animal Studies within the broader field of Human-Animal Studies (HAS), outlining its past achievements, current trends, and future directions. It begins by defining HAS and its interdisciplinary foundations, then explores key theoretical concepts such as the ‘animal turn’ and ‘animal lens.’ The article traces the emergence of sustained interest in animals among Byzantinists from 2008 onward, highlighting growing scholarly engagement with both material and symbolic animals. It further examines recent advances, including new editions, translations, and thematic studies, while critiquing their anthropocentric bias. Finally, it proposes more zoocentric approaches for future research on human-animal relations in Byzantium.