Dr. Marcy Norton's new book about humans and animals after 1492 is a must read.
Marc Bekoff: I'm very interested in human-animal
relationships (anthrozoology) and always want to learn more about the
history and roots of these sorts of relationships.1 That's the very reason I
was so glad to learn of Dr. Marcy Norton's new book The Tame and the Wild:
People and Animals After 1492 on the history of human-animal relationships,
which places wildlife and livestock at the center of the story and shows how
different views of animals reshaped people on both sides of the Atlantic.
I'm thrilled Marcy could answer a few questions about her must-read revision
of humans, animals, and cultural change.
Why did you write The Tame and the Wild?
Marcy Norton: I am baffled by this paradox: On the one
hand, we know that animals suffer more than at any point in history.
Consider the billions (!) of animals who suffer in confinement and then are
slaughtered for human overconsumption, and the others who die because of
climate change, water pollution, deforestation, etc. And, yet, on the other
hand, so many of us have pets whom we adore, and there is an ever-growing
appetite to learn about scientific research (such as your own!)
demonstrating the amazing capacities of nonhuman animals. So, as a
historian, I wanted to understand how we got here.
Please read the ENTIRE INTERVIEW HERE, including responses to:
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