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Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Social issues > Animals & society
Although the animal may be, as Nietzsche argued, ahistorical,
living completely in the present, it nonetheless plays a crucial
role in human history. The fascination with animals that leads not
only to a desire to observe and even live alongside them, but to
capture or kill them, is found in all civilizations. The essays
collected in Beastly Natures show how animals have been brought
into human culture, literally helping to build our societies (as
domesticated animals have done) or contributing, often in
problematic ways, to our concept of the wild. The book begins with
a group of essays that approach the historical relevance of
human-animal relations seen from the perspectives of various
disciplines and suggest ways in which animals might be brought into
formal studies of history. Differences in species and location can
greatly affect the shape of human-animal interaction, and so the
essays that follow address a wide spectrum of topics, including the
demanding fate of the working horse, the complex image of the
American alligator (at turns a dangerous predator and a tourist
attraction), the zoo gardens of Victorian England, the iconography
of the rhinoceros and the preference it reveals in society for myth
over science, relations between humans and wolves in Europe, and
what we can learn from society's enthusiasm for "political"
animals, such as the pets of the American presidents and the Soviet
Union's "space dogs." Taken together, these essays suggest new ways
of looking not only at animals but at human history. Contributors
Mark V. Barrow Jr., Virginia Tech * Peter Edwards, Roehampton
University * Kelly Enright, Rutgers University * Oliver Hochadel,
Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona * Uwe Lubken, Rachel Carson
Center, Munich * Garry Marvin, Roehampton University * Clay
McShane, Northeastern University * Amy Nelson, Virginia Tech *
Susan Pearson, Northwestern University * Helena Pycior, University
of Wisconsin-Milwaukee * Harriet Ritvo, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology * Nigel Rothfels, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee *
Joel A. Tarr, Carnegie Mellon University * Mary Weismantel,
Northwestern University
In view of the current rhetoric surrounding the global migrant
crisis - with politicians comparing refugees with animals and media
reports warning of migrants swarming like insects or trespassing
like wolves - this timely study explores the cultural origins of
the language and imagery of dehumanization. Situated at the
junction of literature, politics, and ecocriticism, Wolves at the
Door traces the history of the wolf metaphor in discussions of
race, gender, colonialism, fascism, and ecology. How have
'Gypsies', Jews, Native Americans but also 'wayward' women been
'wolfed' in literature and politics? How has the wolf myth been
exploited by Hitler, Mussolini and Turkish ultra-nationalism? How
do right-wing politicians today exploit the reappearance of wolves
in Central Europe in the context of the migration discourse? And
while their reintroduction in places like Yellowstone has fuelled
heated debates, what is the wolf's role in ecological rewilding and
for the restoration of biodiversity? In today's fraught political
climate, Wolves at the Door alerts readers to the links between
stereotypical images, their cultural history, and their political
consequences. It raises awareness about xenophobia and the dangers
of nationalist idolatry, but also highlights how literature and the
visual arts employ the wolf myth for alternative messages of
tolerance and cultural diversity.
'DOG'S BEST FRIEND is as fascinating, funny and wise as we've come
to expect from Simon Garfield. More than that, it's a book that
asks profound questions about what it means to be canine' ANDY
MILLER, author THE YEAR OF READING DANGEROUSLY 'This is a book that
will make your tail wag' KATE HUMBLE 'A fascinating, informative
and highly entertaining expedition through the highways and byways
of dogdom' JOHN BRADSHAW, author of IN DEFENCE OF DOGS 'Simon
Garfield has written a book every owner will lap up with the same
delight and enthusiasm their Fido would a discarded box of fried
chicken. That is to say, with great pleasure' KATE SPICER, author
of LOST DOG *** One of the first words we learn. Perhaps the best
friend we'll have. An animal so much part of our lives that we
speak to it like a child and spend small fortunes on its wellbeing
and wardrobe. Dogs and humans: in the last 200 years no
inter-species relationship has developed so fast nor come so far.
Dogs accompany us in every walk of life, usually three times a day.
How and why did this relationship begin? How has it changed over
the centuries? And who's getting the upper hand? DOG'S BEST FRIEND
investigates this unique bond by revisiting some of the most
important milestones in our shared journey. It begins with the
earliest visual evidence on ancient rock art, and ends at the
laboratory that sequenced the first dog genome. En route we
encounter the first Labradoodle in Australia, a misguidedly loyal
Akita in Japan, an ill-fated Poodle trainer in the United States,
and a hilariously disobedient Romanian rescue dog named Kratu at
the Birmingham NEC. We will also meet Corgis and Dorgis at the
Palace, the weightless mutniks of the Soviet space programme, a
Dalmatian who impersonates Hitler, and an owner who claims his
Border Collie can remember the names of more than a thousand soft
toys. If you own or once owned a dog, you will know that our
relationship can be as rich, complicated and rewarding as the
relationship we have with other humans, and the book reflects this
diversity with the aid of trainers, breeders and psychologists.
Above all, it explores the extraordinary ability of dogs to enhance
so many aspects of our lives. DOG'S BEST FRIEND is as entertaining
as it is informative, as eccentric as it is erudite, and all told
with Simon Garfield's irrepressible gift for witty and insightful
storytelling.
This book draws together, for the first time, the published
research on the behaviour, ecology and welfare of elephants living
in zoos, circuses, logging camps and other captive environments in
a single comprehensive volume. It takes a multi-disciplinary
approach, considering the work of zoo biologists, animal behaviour
and welfare scientists, veterinarians, philosophers, zoo educators,
tourism specialists, conservation biologists, lawyers and others
with a professional interest in elephants. Elephants under Human
Care: The Behaviour, Ecology, and Welfare of Elephants in Captivity
is a valuable resource for zoo biology and animal welfare
researchers. It is also useful for students and zoo professionals
and managers looking for a comprehensive guide to current research
on captive elephants. Although not intended as a husbandry manual,
the book discusses some of the elephant welfare standards developed
by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and the British and
Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) and their
relationship to current knowledge of captive elephants.
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