Nik Taylor - Humans, Animals, and Society: An Introduction to Human-Animal Studies

Humans, Animals, and Society is a timely and welcome addition to the rapidly growing humananimal studies library. Much of the literature comprising this field is cerebral and esoteric, which limits its reach into the public's consciousness. With current examples, thoughtful analysis, and a sympathetic voice, Nik Taylor provides a reader-friendly, up-to-date overview of the rapidly evolving humananimal relationship. I highly recommend this book to any reader interested in the field, as well as to course instructors seeking an accessible, up-to-date introduction.

Jonathan Balcombe, Ph.D., Animal Studies Department Chair, Humane Society University, and author of The Exultant Ark

A timely and incisive examination of current key debates in humananimal studies. With its clear thematic structure, Humans, Animals, and Society deftly steers the reader through a range of complex questions about humananimal relations. Written in an accessible style, it is essential reading for those seeking an introduction to HAS. For those familiar with the subject area, this book is an invaluable survey of scholarly work in the field.

Claire Molloy, Professor of Film, Television and Digital Media, Edge Hill University, UK

Nik Taylor's Humans, Animals, and Society is a much-needed, state-of-the-art overview of the emerging field of humananimal studies. Covering such diverse topics as animal assisted therapy, the moral emotions of slaughterhouse workers and veterinarians, the portrayal of animals in movies, the link between animal abuse and human violence, and the moral obligations of scholars, this is an accessible yet intellectually rigorous introduction to the study of humananimal interactions. Taylor's book will appeal to scholars and students, and anyone fascinated by the relationships between people and animals.

Hal Herzog, Professor of Psychology at Western Carolina University, and author of Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat

Nik Taylor provides an accessible introduction to and critical discussion of key ideas, themes and debates within humananimal studies. By drawing on a diverse range of empirical studies she also illustrates the ambiguous, contested, and politicized nature of interspecies relations, contexts, and scholarship. This book is a valuable contribution to the growing literature on humananimal research within the social sciences.

Rhoda Wilkie, University of Aberdeen, UK

An exciting and welcome addition to the growing humananimal studies field. Although written from a social science perspective, Humans, Animals, and Society has broad interdisciplinary coverage and appeal. The reader will benefit greatly from Taylor's own experiences as an ethnographic researcher who has examined humananimal relations interdisciplinary a variety of settings. Humans, Animals, and Society is ideally suited as a textbook for students and essential as a resource for HAS scholars.

Clifton P. Flynn, Chair of the Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Women's Studies at the University of South Carolina Upstate, and author of Understanding Animal Abuse and Social Creatures

Thoroughly recommended. Taylor's Humans, Animals, and Society provides a wonderful introduction to humananimal studies, covering so many ways in which nonhuman animals' lives are profoundly entwined in a shared social life. From animal abuse to animal protection, from seeing some animals as family and others as food, she explores the many contradictions in our relationships with other species.

Lynda Birke, Visiting Professor in Biological Sciences, University of Chester, UK

Humans, Animals, and Society is a welcome addition to the literature in the growing field of humananimal studies. Combining research from across the disciplines and written in accessible language, it covers the full range of topics in humananimal interaction: the humananimal bond, social institutions and animals, representing animals, working with/for animals, human and animal directed violence, and protecting animals. It also includes a chapter on critical animal studies, outlining the challenges this more radical approach poses to the study of humananimal interaction. With suggestions for further reading, this book serves as a valuable resource for established scholars as well as students encountering the field for the first time.

Leslie Irvine, Associate Professor, University of Colorado at Boulder

Humans, Animals, and Society provides a comprehensive, eloquent, and vibrant analysis of the myriad issues and concerns at the heart of contemporary scholarship in humananimal studies. Nik Taylor succinctly describes how many of our modern-day anthropocentric interactions with nonhuman animals are derived from outdated assumptions and biases about other species. At the same time she makes excellent use of popular culture and examples from everyday life to engage readers in her sharp analysis of humananimal interactions. The author's respect for all the other animals we share this planet with is infectious, and her stance is ultimately optimistic: she advocates convincingly for the need to connect cross-disciplinary compassionate scholarship with political activism in order to effect enduring positive changes in our relationships with other species.

Annie Potts, Associate Professor and Co-Director of the New Zealand Centre for HumanAnimal Studies at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand

2013

Lantern Books

128 Second Place

Brooklyn, NY 11231

www.lanternbooks.com

Copyright 2013 Nik Taylor

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of Lantern Books.

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Taylor, Nik.

Humans, animals, and society : an introduction to human-animal studies / Nik Taylor.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-59056-423-3 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-59056-424-0 (ebook)

1. Human-animal relationships. 2. AnimalsSocial aspects. 3. Animals and civilization. 4. Animal welfare. I. Title.

QL85.T34 2013

304.2dc23

2012046391

Thanks to those I have done research in the area of humananimal studies with across the years. Special thanks to Tania Signal and Lindsay Hamilton who were both happy to have work we have done together make its way into this book. Thanks also to Lantern Books for taking this project on, and special mention to Wendy Lee who was helpful and patient throughout the entire editing process. As always, thanks to the furry folk who share my life and make it a better place, as well as for their continued inspiration and motivation.

HAS is a rapidly growing academic area, and one that encompasses several disciplines across both the natural and the social sciences. I don't claim to be an expert in all of these disciplines, nor do I claim this book to be an exhaustive review of the multiple issues and approaches in current HAS scholarship. Instead, my aim is that this book provide a starting point, an introduction to many of the key current debates in HAS currently. It is therefore a book that will be of use in various settings where human relationships with animals are considered.

In recognizing the diverse backgrounds of those interested in HAS I have tried to write a book that is accessible across the disciplines and understandable to those from the myriad fields of interest in HAS. The social science perspective of this book reflects my own training as a sociologist, although I have aimed to avoid narrow disciplinary concerns and opted to provide a broad, albeit