Abstract
Humans have had a long and close relationship with nonhuman animals. They have hunted them, domesticated them, consumed them as food, exploited them as sources of energy, adopted them as companions, exhibited them for entertainment and devoted time to studying them. In the process, they have radically changed the way in which many animals live, subjecting them to captivity, altering their diets, constraining their movements and, through selective breeding, even changing the shape of their bodies. They have also impacted the overall biodiversity of the planet, driving some species to extinction and permitting others to colonise new continents.
Animals in World History provides a concise synthesis of human-animal relations over time, charting shifting attitudes towards non-human animals from domestication to the present day. It asks how non-human species have shaped human history, and how humans have reconfigured the animal world through domestication, translocation, extermination, conservation, consumption.
Topics covered include: the consumption of animals as food and for fashion; animal labour; the use of animals in warfare; petkeeping; the exhibition of animals in zoos and menageries; the use of animals in science; the ecological impact of human behaviour on non-human species; and shifting attitudes towards animal cruelty.
With case studies on animal astronauts, celebrity kakapos, globetrotting pandas and cocaine hippos, Animals in World History offers a lively and accessible introduction to human-animal history across space and time.
Animals in World History provides a concise synthesis of human-animal relations over time, charting shifting attitudes towards non-human animals from domestication to the present day. It asks how non-human species have shaped human history, and how humans have reconfigured the animal world through domestication, translocation, extermination, conservation, consumption.
Topics covered include: the consumption of animals as food and for fashion; animal labour; the use of animals in warfare; petkeeping; the exhibition of animals in zoos and menageries; the use of animals in science; the ecological impact of human behaviour on non-human species; and shifting attitudes towards animal cruelty.
With case studies on animal astronauts, celebrity kakapos, globetrotting pandas and cocaine hippos, Animals in World History offers a lively and accessible introduction to human-animal history across space and time.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Place of Publication | New York |
| Publisher | Routledge |
| Number of pages | 234 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781003181996 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781032015217 |
| Publication status | Published - 18 Dec 2024 |
Publication series
| Name | Themes in World History |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Routledge |
Keywords
- animals, history, consumption, labour, companionship, exhibition, knowledge, biodiversity, animal rights, animal welfare