photo credits
One of the key areas of inquiry for the Ecological & Cultural Change Studies Group is the interdisciplinary study of the relationships between humans and other animals. The 21st century will see major transformations in such relationships, driven in large part by the explosion of research on how human practices threaten the animal world and the entire global environment, putting the futures of all living organisms in jeopardy. Disciplines traditionally devoted to the study of human culture (including sociology, psychology, anthropology, history, geography, and cultural studies) are now embracing animal studies as a central part of their focus and concern, and the Ecological & Cultural Change Studies Group is at the forefront of that effort. The group is involved in numerous scholarly projects in animal studies. Kalof has published Looking at Animals in Human History (Reaktion, 2007) and she and Amy Fitzgerald edited The Animals Reader (Berg 2007). In addition, they have published articles on the image of animals in the popular culture, including the display of dead animal bodies in trophy photographs and the connection between animals and women in the discourse of sport hunting (with Lori Baralt). Looking at Animals in Human History Linda Kalof and Carl Taylor. 2007. The Discourse of Dog Fighting. Humanity & Society 31(4), 319-333. Amy Fitzgerald (now an Assistant Professor at the University of Windsor) also has an active research program in animals and society. She has written a book detailing her research on the relationship between animal abuse and other forms of family violence (Edwin Mellen Press, 2005), an article on the increasing participation of women in sport hunting from various feminist perspectives (Women Studies Quarterly, 2004), and a recent article on domestic violence and animal abuse in Humanity & Society, 2007. |
Ecological and Cultural Change Studies Group 6H Berkey Hall Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 48824 phone: 517-353-1653 fax: 517-353-6734 |
