“<i>Animalia</i> shows us how imperial power was both extended through and disturbed by the multiple entanglements of human/animal worlds. The elephants, lions, and tigers familiar to the imperial imagination jostle with mosquitoes, scorpions, and unicorns, offering a rich variety of animal engagements with empire, both for and against their would-be masters. An essential bestiary for our times.” - Catherine Hall author of (Civilising Subjects. Metropole and Colony in the English Imagination, 1830–1867) “With appealing quirkiness, <i>Animalia</i> introduces readers to the complex ways that humans' treatment of animals offers an informative and genuinely fascinating way of understanding how pervasive the impact of imperialism was and continues to be across the globe. Written with verve and elegance while conveying the surprising importance of all sorts of species to the imperial project, <i>Animalia</i> is an intriguing and exhilarating book.” - Teresa Mangum, editor of (A Cultural History of Women in the Age of Empire) “<i>Animalia</i> is a charming and creative primer concerning the central role animals played in the British empire.... Inviting further research, the chapters are rich in ideas, themes, and postulations.” - Miles Alexander Powell (Journal of Pacific History) “<i>Animalia</i> strives to be interdisciplinary not only in the theories and empirical evidence found in the individual contributions but also in the hybrid form of the volume.... Its playful form, fascinating stories, and nuggets of insight offer great potential to serve as a springboard for deeper interdisciplinary explorations.” - John Soluri (Journal of Interdisciplinary History) “What sets <i>Animalia</i> apart from the rest is the playful and innovative way in which it tells animal stories.... <i>Animalia</i> is informative and encyclopedic and a must-have book for anyone who loves and studies animals.” - Kaori Nagai (Journal of British Studies) “[<i>Animalia</i>] presents succinct, researched commentaries on a number of the animal species brought under imperial control and thereby reconstitutes the bestiary compendium. . . . This is an A-to-Z compendium for the twenty-first century that points back to the historical taxonomy as it moves forward to trouble its purpose, often by revealing the porous boundaries between species and the instability of ‘animalia’.” - Peta Tait (Animal Studies Journal)
Contributors. Neel Ahuja, Tony Ballantyne, Antoinette Burton, Utathya Chattopadhyaya, Jonathan Goldberg-Hiller, Peter Hansen, Isabel Hofmeyr, Anna Jacobs, Daniel Heath Justice, Dane Kennedy, Jagjeet Lally, Krista Maglen, Amy E. Martin, Renisa Mawani, Heidi J. Nast, Michael A. Osborne, Harriet Ritvo, George Robb, Jonathan Saha, Sandra Swart, Angela Thompsell
Introduction: Animals, the Bestiary Form, and Disruptive Imperial Histories / Antoinette Burton and Renisa Mawani
Some Ways to Read This Book
A Is for Ape / Amy E. Martin
B Is for Boar / Annaliese Claydon
C Is for Cattle / Renisa Mawani
D Is for Dog / Heidi J. Nast
E Is for Elephant / Jonathan Saha
F Is for Fox / George Robb
G Is for Giraffe / Angela Thompsell
H Is for Horse / Jagjeet Lally
I Is for Ibis / Renisa Mawani
J Is for Jackal (and Dingo) / Isabel Hofmeyr
K Is for Kiwi / Tony Ballantyne
L Is for Lion / Antoinette Burton
M Is for Mosquito / Neel Ahuja
N Is for North Atlantic Right Whale / Krista Maglen
O Is for Okapi / Sandra Swart
P Is for Platypus / Annaliese Claydon
Q Is for Quagga / Harriet Ritvo
R Is for Racoon / Daniel Heath Justice
S Is for Scorpion / Antoinette Burton
T Is for Tiger / Dane Kennedy
U Is for Unicorn / Utathya Chattopadhyaya
V Is for Vulture / Utathya Chattopadhyaya
W Is for Whale / Jonathan Goldberg-Hiller
X Is for Xerus / Utathya Chattopadhyaya
Y Is for Yak / Peter Hansen
Z is for Zebu / Michael A. Osborne
Contributors
Index
Product details
Biographical note
Antoinette Burton is Professor of History and Swanlund Endowed Chair at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is the author and editor of numerous books, including Africa in the Indian Imagination and Ten Books That Shaped the British Empire, both also published by Duke University Press.Renisa Mawani is Professor of Sociology at the University of British Columbia and is the author of Across Oceans of Law: The Komagata Maru and Jurisdiction in the Time of Empire, also published by Duke University Press.