Animals and the Human Imagination

A Companion to Animal Studies

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Nature, Animals, Animals Rights, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology
Cover of the book Animals and the Human Imagination by Wendy Doniger, Columbia University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Wendy Doniger ISBN: 9780231527767
Publisher: Columbia University Press Publication: April 24, 2012
Imprint: Columbia University Press Language: English
Author: Wendy Doniger
ISBN: 9780231527767
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Publication: April 24, 2012
Imprint: Columbia University Press
Language: English

Human beings have long imagined their subjectivity, ethics, and ancestry with and through animals, yet not until the mid-twentieth century did contemporary thought reflect critically on animals' significance in human self-conception. Thinkers such as French philosopher Jacques Derrida, South African novelist J. M. Coetzee, and American theorist Donna Haraway have initiated rigorous inquiries into the question of the animal, now blossoming in a number of directions. It is no longer strange to say that if animals did not exist, we would have to invent them.

This interdisciplinary and cross-cultural collection reflects the growth of animal studies as an independent field and the rise of "animality" as a critical lens through which to analyze society and culture, on a par with race and gender. Essays consider the role of animals in the human imagination and the imagination of the human; the worldviews of indigenous peoples; animal-human mythology in early modern China; and political uses of the animal in postcolonial India. They engage with the theoretical underpinnings of the animal protection movement, representations of animals in children's literature, depictions of animals in contemporary art, and the philosophical positioning of the animal from Aristotle to Derrida. The strength of this companion lies in its timeliness and contextual diversity, which makes it essential reading for students and researchers while further developing the parameters of the discipline.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Human beings have long imagined their subjectivity, ethics, and ancestry with and through animals, yet not until the mid-twentieth century did contemporary thought reflect critically on animals' significance in human self-conception. Thinkers such as French philosopher Jacques Derrida, South African novelist J. M. Coetzee, and American theorist Donna Haraway have initiated rigorous inquiries into the question of the animal, now blossoming in a number of directions. It is no longer strange to say that if animals did not exist, we would have to invent them.

This interdisciplinary and cross-cultural collection reflects the growth of animal studies as an independent field and the rise of "animality" as a critical lens through which to analyze society and culture, on a par with race and gender. Essays consider the role of animals in the human imagination and the imagination of the human; the worldviews of indigenous peoples; animal-human mythology in early modern China; and political uses of the animal in postcolonial India. They engage with the theoretical underpinnings of the animal protection movement, representations of animals in children's literature, depictions of animals in contemporary art, and the philosophical positioning of the animal from Aristotle to Derrida. The strength of this companion lies in its timeliness and contextual diversity, which makes it essential reading for students and researchers while further developing the parameters of the discipline.

More books from Columbia University Press

Cover of the book Mencius by Wendy Doniger
Cover of the book What China and India Once Were by Wendy Doniger
Cover of the book Jane Austen and the Romantic Poets by Wendy Doniger
Cover of the book Hegel and the Infinite by Wendy Doniger
Cover of the book The Columbia Guide to the Latin American Novel Since 1945 by Wendy Doniger
Cover of the book On Bicycles by Wendy Doniger
Cover of the book Last Words by Wendy Doniger
Cover of the book There’s No Such Thing as a Sexual Relationship by Wendy Doniger
Cover of the book An Improbable Life by Wendy Doniger
Cover of the book Social Work Practice with Survivors of Sex Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation by Wendy Doniger
Cover of the book The Autonomy of Pleasure by Wendy Doniger
Cover of the book Chromatic Modernity by Wendy Doniger
Cover of the book The Greening of Asia by Wendy Doniger
Cover of the book Race and Secularism in America by Wendy Doniger
Cover of the book Grassroots Fascism by Wendy Doniger
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy