Animals and Society: An Introduction to Human-animal Studies

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Columbia University Press, 2012 - 470 páginas
Considering that much of human society is structured through its interaction with non-human animals, and since human society relies heavily on the exploitation of animals to serve human needs, human-animal studies has become a rapidly expanding field of research, featuring a number of distinct positions, perspectives, and theories that require nuanced explanation and contextualization.

The first book to provide a full overview of human-animal studies, this volume focuses on the conceptual construction of animals in American culture and the way in which it reinforces and perpetuates hierarchical human relationships rooted in racism, sexism, and class privilege. Margo DeMello considers interactions between humans and animals within the family, the law, the religious and political system, and other major social institutions, and she unpacks the different identities humans fashion for themselves and for others through animals. Essays also cover speciesism and evolutionary continuities; the role and preservation of animals in the wild; the debate over zoos and the use of animals in sports; domestication; agricultural practices such as factory farming; vivisection; animal cruelty; animal activism; the representation of animals in literature and film; and animal ethics. Sidebars highlight contemporary controversies and issues, with recommendations for additional reading, educational films, and related websites. DeMello concludes with an analysis of major philosophical positions on human social policy and the future of human-animal relations.
 

Índice

AnimalHuman Borders
32
The Social Construction of Animals
44
HUMANANIMAL ECONOMIES
61
The Domestication of Animals
84
Display Performance and Sport
99
The Making and Consumption of Meat
126
The Pet Animal
146
Animals and Science
170
Violence to Animals
236
Human Oppression and Animal Suffering
256
ANIMALS AS SYMBOL
281
Animals in Religion and Folklore
301
Animals in Literature and Film
325
The Moral Status of Animals
377
The Animal Protection Movement
396
The Future of the HumanAnimal Relationship
419

AnimalAssisted Activities
194
ATTITUDES TOWARD ANIMALS
215

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Sobre el autor (2012)

Margo DeMello teaches anthropology and sociology at Central New Mexico Community College. Her books include Speaking for Animals: Animal Autobiographical Writing; Teaching the Animal: Human-Animal Studies Across the Disciplines; Stories Rabbits Tell: A Natural and Cultural History of a Misunderstood Creature; and Why Animals Matter: The Case for Animal Protection.

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