Loving Animals
On Bestiality, Zoophilia and Post-Human Love
Published on 12. October 2020
Book
Hardback
192 pages
978-1-78914-310-2 (ISBN)
Description
Sexual contact with non-human animals is one of the last taboos but, for a practice that is generally regarded as abhorrent, it is remarkable how many books, films, plays, paintings and photographs depict the subject. In this book renowned historian Joanna Bourke explores the history of human-animal sexuality and examines how the meanings of the words 'bestiality' or 'zoophilia' have changed. Are people who are sexually attracted to non-human animals psychiatrically ill, or are they normal people who happen to have a minority sexual orientation? How are we to understand human-animal love, as well as other issues within the discourse surrounding sexuality, such as violence, consent and abuse?
This book draws queer theory, post-human philosophy, disability studies and the history of the senses into the debate to ask, what would an ethics of animal loving look like? What does it mean to love non-human animals? More pertinently: what does it mean to love?
This book draws queer theory, post-human philosophy, disability studies and the history of the senses into the debate to ask, what would an ethics of animal loving look like? What does it mean to love non-human animals? More pertinently: what does it mean to love?
Reviews / Votes
A sympathetic account of people who love animals too much. * Houman Barekat, TLS * Joanna Bourke's Loving Animals is an exploration of the ethical possibilities and often grim reality of modern bestiality . . . Her thesis is that while sexual interaction between human and non-human animals is very often abusive, it needn't be. Drawing on feminist and queer theory, she makes the case for a form of human-animal love that isn't merely free from harm, but is governed by reciprocity, respect and care. Taking this seriously can, Bourke thinks, help us understand what we owe our fellow non-human animals, and the sex humans have with each other. * London Review of Books * Neither the topic of bestiality nor Bourke's theoretical engagement with the topic via feminist, queer, and posthuman theory are intellectually or ethically easy topics, but what is remarkable about Loving Animals is how accessible it is . . . Bourke is a fascinating storyteller whose writing rebels against the more obtrusive style of some of the very authors she discusses . . . This is an exciting, new, thought-provoking and accessible book that brings into posthuman and queer theory to ask: what does it mean to love animals? * Cultural and Social History * In this courageous book, Joanna Bourke combines scholarship and clear prose to tackle head-on one of our most stigmatized taboos-sexual relations between humans and nonhumans. In doing so, she provides an illuminating perspective on a subject too often swept under the rug. Even if so-called zoophilia were a rare aberration, it ought to be addressed. That it is far more widespread than commonly believed justifies the need for thorough, contemporary examination. * Jonathan Balcombe, author of 'Pleasurable Kingdom: Animals and the Nature of Feeling Good' * This bold and imaginative book is thoughtful and - inevitably - provocative. With characteristic compassion and insight, Joanna Bourke undertakes a tour de force of historical and cultural attitudes towards human-animal relations to guide us through serious ethical and political questions concerning sexuality, power and consent. * Julie-Marie Strange, Professor of Modern British History, Durham University * Joanna Bourke's post-anthropocentric approach to human-animal love and lust is a remarkable and much-needed contribution to both queer studies and animal studies. She offers a critical and thorough analysis of the joys, hopes and dangers of intimacy with the most vulnerable of all lovers - animals. * Monika Bakke, Associate Professor in the Philosophy Department at Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan * An important and thought-provoking book . . . Bourke's deft yet bold handling of this topic opens a vastand ethically freighted vista. * Dr Louise Hide, Birkbeck, University of London * This book is a timely intervention in a range of current academic milieus exploring posthumanism. It brings human-animal studies into conversation with studies of mental health, sexuality, and queer studies. * Sandra Swart, The American Historical Review *
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Illustrations
22 illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 237 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
456 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78914-310-2 (9781789143102)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
10/2020
Reaktion Books
€18.49
Available for download
Persons
Joanna Bourke (Author)
Joanna Bourke is Professor Emerita of History at Birkbeck, University of London, a Fellow of the British Academy, and OBE. She is also the Professor of Rhetoric at Gresham College. Her many books include Disgrace: Global Reflections on Sexual Violence (Reaktion, 2022).
Tom Moore (Author)
Joanna Bourke is Professor of History at Birkbeck, University of London, a Fellow of the British Academy, and the Gresham Professor of Rhetoric (until 2023). Her many books include The Story of Pain: From Prayer to Painkillers (2014) and War and Art: A Visual History of Modern Conflict (2017).
Joanna Bourke is Professor Emerita of History at Birkbeck, University of London, a Fellow of the British Academy, and OBE. She is also the Professor of Rhetoric at Gresham College. Her many books include Disgrace: Global Reflections on Sexual Violence (Reaktion, 2022).
Tom Moore (Author)
Joanna Bourke is Professor of History at Birkbeck, University of London, a Fellow of the British Academy, and the Gresham Professor of Rhetoric (until 2023). Her many books include The Story of Pain: From Prayer to Painkillers (2014) and War and Art: A Visual History of Modern Conflict (2017).