
Bad Dog
Pit Bull Politics and Multispecies Justice
Harlan Weaver(Author)
University of Washington Press
Published on 26. March 2021
Book
Hardback
240 pages
978-0-295-74801-6 (ISBN)
Description
Challenges the way we think about pit bulls and their human companions
Fifty-plus years of media fearmongering coupled with targeted breed bans have produced what could be called "America's Most Wanted" dog: the pit bull. However, at the turn of the twenty-first century, competing narratives began to change the meaning of "pit bull." Increasingly represented as loving members of mostly white, middle-class, heteronormative families, pit bulls and pit bull-type dogs are now frequently seen as victims rather than perpetrators, beings deserving not fear or scorn but rather care and compassion.
Drawing from the increasingly contentious world of human/dog politics and featuring rich ethnographic research among dogs and their advocates, Bad Dog explores how relationships between humans and animals not only reflect but actively shape experiences of race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, nation, breed, and species. Harlan Weaver proposes a critical and queer reading of pit bull politics and animal advocacy, challenging the zero-sum logic through which care for animals is seen as detracting from care for humans. Introducing understandings rooted in examinations of what it means for humans to touch, feel, sense, and think with and through relationships with nonhuman animals, Weaver suggests powerful ways to seek justice for marginalized humans and animals together.
Fifty-plus years of media fearmongering coupled with targeted breed bans have produced what could be called "America's Most Wanted" dog: the pit bull. However, at the turn of the twenty-first century, competing narratives began to change the meaning of "pit bull." Increasingly represented as loving members of mostly white, middle-class, heteronormative families, pit bulls and pit bull-type dogs are now frequently seen as victims rather than perpetrators, beings deserving not fear or scorn but rather care and compassion.
Drawing from the increasingly contentious world of human/dog politics and featuring rich ethnographic research among dogs and their advocates, Bad Dog explores how relationships between humans and animals not only reflect but actively shape experiences of race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, nation, breed, and species. Harlan Weaver proposes a critical and queer reading of pit bull politics and animal advocacy, challenging the zero-sum logic through which care for animals is seen as detracting from care for humans. Introducing understandings rooted in examinations of what it means for humans to touch, feel, sense, and think with and through relationships with nonhuman animals, Weaver suggests powerful ways to seek justice for marginalized humans and animals together.
Reviews / Votes
"This is an astonishing book... The insights and implications ofcontemporary social theory, especially queer theory, are accessible, resonant, and concrete throughout the events andexperiences the author describes."(Choice)
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Seattle
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
2 b&w illus.
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Weight
454 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-295-74801-6 (9780295748016)
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
03/2021
1st Edition
University of Washington Press
from
€72.99
Available for download
Persons
Harlan Weaver is assistant professor of gender, women, and sexuality studies at Kansas State University.