Consider the bear: an anti-speciesist perspective on securitarianism

This paper analyzes the governance of bears in Italy from the perspectives of critical animal studies and securitarianism. In the wake of the 2023 fatal attack by bear JJ4 in Trentino, we examine the extent to which the mechanisms of fear, punishment, and marginalization – typically employed to manage urban populations – extend to wildlife management. Our comparative study focuses on two protected areas: the Adamello Brenta Nature Park (PNAB) in Trentino and the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio, and Molise (PNALM) in Central Italy. We introduce the concept of orso confidente (confident bear, which corresponds to the ‘habituated bear’ in the scientific English terminology of the field) to describe bears that exhibit an excessive level of familiarity with humans, thereby showing how behavioral categories function as moral-juridical operators that render certain animals ‘killable.’ Our analysis illustrates the transversal operation of securitarian logics across species boundaries, subjecting both marginalized human populations and non-human animals to necropolitical rationalities. We suggest a ‘sociology beyond species’ that acknowledges the confident bear as a theoretical ally rather than a dangerous foe, to illustrate the constructed nature of boundaries and the potential of feral citizenship – political belonging that transcends normative categories and embraces interspecies coexistence.