A Cultural History of Animals in the Modern Age

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A Choice Outstanding Academic Title, 2008 Human culture is now more dangerous to non-human animals than ever before. The destruction of natural habitats and the killing of animals for food, science, medicine or trophy - sometimes to the point of extinction - is the stuff of newspaper headlines. We live in a time when the idea of an animal's habitat has almost become irrelevant, except as a historical curiosity, yet also in a time when the public and philosophical acknowledgement of animal rights and environmental ethics is on the rise. Animals are enmeshed in human culture simply because people are so interested in them. Animals remain central to our sense of the natural world. Our pets are often seen as our closest companions through life. At the same time, the last century has seen the use of animals in scientific experimentation and major changes in industrial-scale animal farming. Never has the relationship between human and non-human animals been more hotly contested. A Cultural History of Animals in the Modern Age presents an overview of the period and continues with essays on the position of animals in contemporary symbolism, hunting, domestication, sports and entertainment, science, philosophy, and art.

Reviews

The Cultural History of Animals presents an innovative and compelling introduction to current scholarship about the historical relationships between people and other animals. * Harriet Ritvo, Arthur J. Conner Professor of History, M.I.T. *
An innovative and ambitious project that synthesizes knowledge of animals as living creatures and their symbolic representations... an invaluable contribution to our understanding... A combination of surprise and entertainment with serious research gives these volumes a place in the best tradition of accessible science. * Bernd Hppauf, New York University for H-Soz-u-Kult *
High quality editing, clear writing, and abundant visual illustrations ... These volumes will be basic to future scholarship dealing with animals and society. Essential. * Choice *

Author Bio

Randy Malamud is Professor of English at Georgia State University, and author of Reading Zoos: Representations of Animals and Captivity and Poetic Animals and Animal Souls.