Translating the Wild Boar in Brazil: The Challenges of Interessement in Actor-Network Theory

Liana Mendonca Goni, Nardel Luiz Soares da Silva and Eduardo Guedes Villar

Journal of Sustainable Development, 2025, vol. 18, issue 3, 102

Abstract: The wild boar (Sus scrofa), an invasive alien species with high ecological plasticity, has become a global concern due to its environmental, economic, and social impacts. In Brazil, its uncontrolled expansion has triggered complex conflicts involving diverse stakeholders. This study explores the sociotechnical translations of the wild boar using the Actor-Network Theory (ANT), particularly Michel Callon’s Sociology of Translation, to examine how different actors construct and negotiate the species’ meaning and management. Through a qualitative case study approach, we identify how heterogeneous actors—rural producers, hunters, environmental agencies, scientists, and civil society—attribute competing values and roles to the wild boar. The findings reveal that the wild boar transcends its biological classification to become a hybrid actor shaped by dynamic interactions, conflicting interests, and political-ecological narratives. These translations are fluid, contingent, and influenced by power relations, media discourse, cultural perceptions, and institutional responses. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of human–non-human assemblages and the governance of invasive species, underscoring the need for interdisciplinary frameworks that account for environmental sustainability, socioecological complexity, and non-human agency in policy-making processes.

Date: 2025
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