Animals and Society

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.

Auteur

Margo DeMello

Contenu

Preface Acknowledgments Part I: Constructing Animals: Animal Categories 1. Human-Animal Studies 2. Animal-Human Borders 3. The Social Construction of Animals Part II: Using Animals: Human-Animal Economies 4. Animals "in the Wild" and in Human Societies 5. The Domestication of Animals 6. Display 7. The Making and Consumption of Meat 8. The Pet Animal 9. Animals and Science 10. Animal-Assisted Activities Part III: Attitudes Toward Animals 11. Working with Animals 12. Violence to Animals 13. Human Oppression and Animal Suffering Part IV: Imagining Animals: Animals as Symbol 14. Animals in Human Thought 15. Animals in Religion and Folklore 16. Animals in Literature and Film Part V: Knowing and Relating to Animals: Animal Behavior and Animal Ethics 17. Animal Behavior Studies and Ethology 18. The Moral Status of Animals 19. The Animal Protection Movement 20. The Future of the Human-Animal Relationship Bibliography Index