Descartes, Nietzsche, Kundera. Or how Lucas saved a horse's life.

Authors

Abstract

In this text, the author recounts how her dog saved a neighbor's horse, juxtaposing the event with questions regarding animal consciousness and personality—viewed through both empirical experience and scientific insight. With a touch of irony and links to short videos, the narrative guides us through the relationships between animals, plants, and the convenient stances we adopt toward the other beings with whom we share the planet; it reminds us that we are not alone, even if we pretend otherwise to soften the impact of our often violent passage through this world.

Author Biography

Eva Astrid Alsmann López

She holds a degree in the Restoration of Movable Cultural Heritage from the National School of Conservation, Restoration, and Museography (ENCRyM-INAH) in Mexico. She worked as a conservator-restorer on both public and private projects. Since 2010, she has served as a staff conservator-restorer for the INAH Center in Veracruz. In 2014, she earned a Master’s degree in Culture and Communication Studies from the Universidad Veracruzana, and in 2024, she obtained a Doctorate in Humanities from UAM-X, specializing in Cultural Studies and Postcolonial Criticism. Her work explores the mechanisms of heritage-making and social participation in community museums; the State-community relationship within the context of conservation-restoration interventions; and the heritage-making of devotional images through the lens of postcolonial criticism. Her first word was her dog’s name (Prinz, pronounced without the “R”), and from an early age, she has been surrounded by cats, dogs, and rescued turtles in foster care. She has organized and supported various dog and cat sterilization campaigns in Mexico City and Veracruz, rescuing and finding homes for approximately 90 animals throughout her life. She has also participated in reforestation projects. She currently lives with her human partner, seven cats, and four dogs.Researcher, practitioner, and cultural manager born in San Juan, Argentina. Her work lies at the intersection of ethnography, art, landscape, and relational-ontological studies, deeply rooted in a specific territory and driven by a constant concern for practices of care between human and non-human worlds—particularly the plant world. She holds a degree in Art History from the National University of Cuyo and is a doctoral candidate in Social Sciences at the National University of San Juan, where she conducts her research as a fellow of the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET). Her thesis explores the connections between people and plant worlds in rural territories, focusing on everyday care practices, food production, and landscape construction. Her approach integrates relational theory, decolonial perspectives, and situated methodologies, bringing Latin American authors into dialogue with local knowledge and lived experiences. She has pursued postgraduate training in community feminisms, critical epistemologies, and participatory methodologies, including a diploma program in Community, Peasant, and Grassroots Feminisms in Abya Yala (UNJu – Rodolfo Kusch Institute). She is a member of research teams at UNSJ, CONICET, and INCIHUSA focused on cultural landscapes, sustainability, and situated ethnographic practices. She is a co-founder and producer of *Cinco Elementos – Ecosistema Cultural* and the creator of *Chilka*—a project within the Federal Network of Cultural Hubs (*Red Federal de Puntos de Cultura*)—which focuses on native plants, phytomedicine, natural nutrition, and community-based workshops involving intergenerational participation. Additionally, she was a member of the Albardón Tourist and Ecological Cooperative (COALTEC). She combines her academic work with participation in collective efforts to defend water and territory in San Juan, taking part in socio-environmental assemblies that have been fighting for the protection of the commons for over two decades. She has participated as a speaker at national and international conferences and gatherings, and has authored or co-authored articles and book chapters on cultural landscapes, autoethnography, ceramic practices, and photographic archives. Her writing combines conceptual analysis with ethnographic narrative, championing a form of knowledge that is situated, sensitive, and ethically committed to life. Since 2023, she has been a member of the Network for Information and Discussion on Archaeology and Heritage.

References

Comaroff, John y Comaroff, Jean (2002). Naturalizando la nación: aliens, apocalipsis y el estado poscolonial. Revista de Antropología Social, 11, 89-133. https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/RASO/

article/view/RASO0202110089A

Kundera, Milan (1984). La insoportable levedad del ser. Tusquets Editores.

Sitios Web y videos consultados

@blogmajdala781 (s/f). Un gato comiendo mazorca [Reel]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/bxc1-P36Gp0

Animal Save Movement (s/f). Who will win this epic shape sorter battle?[Reel]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/reel/277795620516022

Herrera, Pepe (25 de noviembre de 2024). ¿Estamos entrando en una nueva era de domesticación del perro? UNAM Global. https://unamglobal.unam.mx/global_revista/

Low, Philip (3 de septiembre de 2012). Animal Consciousness Officially Recognized by Leading Panel of Neuroscientists [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSbom5MsfNM

Niko Niko (3 de octubre de 2014). Cuervo Esquiando Surfeando en un tejado [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLuhmygxncY

Pivovarchuk, Anna (16 de junio de 2024). Scared as hell: Climate scientists risk jobs, jail to save dying planet. Aljazeera. https://youtu.be/8yB6Qt5FWoc?si=1hVdbaQ10j67OypK

Raw Science Film Festival (21 de diciembre de 2013). Stephen Hawking and Non-Human Consciousness [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9QIOj3IYuk

Terranimal (2 de octubre de 2024). Capacidades cognitivas de las gallinas. Gallinas Felices. https://gallinasfelices.terranimal.ec/gallina/capacidadescognitivas-de-las-gallinas/

The Dodo (14 de febrero de 2018). Un gallo se encuentra con su chica favorita

en su parada de autobús todos los días [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_lkVzzd6rE

The Dodo (2 de febrero de 2020). Un hombre atrapa a una adorable marmota

comiéndose su huerto [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkOmaLlXiVs

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Published

2026-09-26

How to Cite

Alsmann, E. (2026). Descartes, Nietzsche, Kundera. Or how Lucas saved a horse’s life. Memorias Disidentes. Revista De Estudios críticos Del Patrimonio, Archivos Y Memorias, 3(6), 314–325. Retrieved from https://ojs.unsj.edu.ar/index.php/Mdis/article/view/1481

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 6 (2026): Traces and Murmurs. Plants and Animals in Dissonant Memories

Section

Lenguajes Instituyentes

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Eva Alsmann

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