2nd Edition
The Animals Reader The Essential Classic and Contemporary Writings
The Animals Reader brings together classic and contemporary writings from philosophy, ethics, sociology, cultural studies, anthropology, environmental studies, history, law and science. Providing readers with both an understanding of the multidisciplinary field of animal studies and a clear sense of how the role of animals in human society has been understood and critiqued through time, this second edition has been expanded to reflect key developments in theory and research that have emerged in recent years.
Forty-two chapters are divided into six parts. Favourite entries from the first edition have been retained, and are joined by sixteen new readings covering topics such as equality, animal rights and citizenship, zoos, death and killing, and embodied communication and empathy.
The second edition begins with a new prologue by acclaimed wildlife photographer and photojournalist Britta Jaschinski. Updated pedagogical features include a new general introduction by the editors, revised introductions to each part and each reading, as well as new suggestions for further reading at the end of each section.
As such, The Animals Reader is an invaluable collection for students across the humanities and social sciences, and is also suitable for general readers with an interest in human-animal relations.
Prologue: reflections on the animal photographs Britta Jaschinski
Editorial introduction Linda Kalof and Amy Fitzgerald
Part 1: Animals as philosophical, ethical and political subjects
Introduction
1. The history of animals Aristotle
2. Principles of morals and legislation Jeremy Bentham
3. Equality for animals? Peter Singer
4. In defense of slavery Marjorie Spiegel
5. The nature and importance of rights Tom Regan
6. Animal thing to animal person – Thoughts on time, place, and theories Steven Wise
7. Frontiers of justice: capabilities and animals Martha Nussbaum
8. Becoming-animal Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari
9. The animal that therefore I am (more to follow) Jacques Derrida
10. From polis to zoopolis: a political theory of animal rights Sue Donaldson and Will Kymlicka
11. The struggle for compassion and justice through critical animal studies Carol Gigliotti
Further reading in animals as philosophical, ethical and political systems
Part 2: Animals as reflexive thinkers
Introduction
12. An apology for Raymond Sebond Michel de Montaigne
13. From the letters of 1646 and 1649 René Descartes
14. The emotions Charles Darwin
15. Speaking for dogs Arnold Arluke and Clinton R. Sanders
16. Wild justice and fair play: cooperation, forgiveness, and morality in animals Marc Bekoff
17. Grief, sadness, and the bones of elephants Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson and Susan McCarthy
18. Orangutan cultures and the evolution of material culture Carel P. van Schaik, Marc Ancrenaz, Gwendolyn Borgen, Birute Galdikas, Cheryl D. Knott, Ian Singleton, Akira Suzuki, Sri Suci Utami, and Michelle Merrill
Further reading in animals as reflexive thinkers
Part 3: Animals as domesticates, companions and food
Introduction
19. The hunter-gatherer prehistory of human-animal interactions Steven Mithen
20. Animal pets: cruelty and affection Yi-Fu Tuan
21. The eating of flesh Plutarch
22. Brave new farm? Jim Mason and Mary Finelli
23. The sexual politics of meat Carol J. Adams
24. Nomadic pastoralism, ranching, and violence David Nibert
25. Theriocide: naming animal killing Piers Beirne
26. The work of animals: a challenge for social sciences Jocelyne Porcher
Further reading in animals as domesticates, companions and food
Part 4: Animals as spectacle and sport
Introduction
27. Combats of elephants Pliny the Elder
28. On being human in the bullfight Garry Marvin
29. Dogfighting: symbolic expression and validation of masculinity Rhonda Evans, DeAnn Kalich (Gauthier) and Craig J. Forsyth
30. Hunting and humanity in Western thought Matt Cartmill
31. Naturalizing zoo animals Irus Braverman
Further reading in animals as spectacle and sport
Part 5: Animals as symbols
Introduction
32. Why look at animals? John Berger
33. The totemic illusion Claude Lévi-Strauss
34. Animals as tradition Boria Sax
35. Animals and visual culture Randy Malamud
36. What is the postmodern animal? Steve Baker
Further reading in animals as symbols
Part 6: Animals as scientific objects
Introduction
37. Observations on the animal kingdom Linnaeus
38. The Brown Dog Riots of 1907 Coral Lansbury
39. Into the laboratory Lynda Birke
40. Biopower and the biotechnological framing of the animal body Richard Twine
41. Sharing suffering: instrumental relations between laboratory animals and their people Donna J. Haraway
42. Responding bodies and partial affinities in human-animal worlds Vinciane Despret
Further reading in animals as scientific objects
Index
Biography
Linda Kalof is Professor of Sociology and Founding Director of the graduate certification in Animal Studies at Michigan State University, USA. Her research focuses on the cultural history of animal iconography. She has published twelve books and edits The Animal Turn book series at MSU Press.
Amy Fitzgerald is Professor of Criminology in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminology at the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research at the University of Windsor, Canada. She has authored several articles and books examining the intersection of harms perpetrated against people, animals and the environment.
Praise for the First Edition:
'The Animals Reader is an immensely stimulating collection of essays, which belongs on the bookshelf of every thinking person.' - The Financial Times
'What is an "animal"? A "human being"? The Animals Reader will help us rethink these urgent questions in the light of scientific, technological, and historical discoveries. Ranging from Aristotle to postmodern philosophers and from orangutans to cyborgs, it presents a wonderful diversity of perspectives on animals and, in consequence, ourselves.' - Boria Sax, author of Crow, Animals in the Third Reich and The Mythical Zoo
'This is an incredibly well-chosen collection of writings and a valuable reference book.' - Yvette Watt, Animals Today
'With its succinct introductions, which contextualize chapters historically and within the broader field of human-animal studies, this text provides a comprehensive introduction to key debates in a format that is accessible to undergraduate students.' - Cultural Geographies
'A great resource for students coming to grips with a complex, multidisciplinary field.' - Mike Michael, University of Exeter, UK
'Absolutely perfect for the course and an excellent production throughout.' - Stuart R. Harrop, Kingston University London, UK
