Another necessary moment of silence, then she continues:

“Are you familiar with Silvia Federici?”

“Yes, she wrote about witches, right? Feels like everybody is quoting her. Will you quote her too?”

“Yes. Did you know that there was a time when dogs were brought to trials for crimes they had committed?”

“Yes, and as witnesses in trials for their owners!”

“They could speak up for themselves.”

“When did they stop?”

“When capitalism came to Medieval Europe. The farmers started to divide the land amongst themselves. As a consequence of this, knowledge was also divided, between people as well as between people and animals. The animal knowledge and the human knowledge became two separate knowledges.”

The receptionist is speaking slowly, making sure you follow her abstract reasoning. You are not completely convinced, but she is excited, so you don’t object. You tell her that it reminds you about an essay by Derrida and the boundaries of the archive that mark the passages between one institution to another.

“What?”