MIRRORS AND WINDOWS: Sociocultural Studies of Human-Animal Relationships

• Published in: Annual review of anthropology Vol. 28; no. 1; pp. 201 - 224
• Main Author: Mullin, Molly H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Palo Alto, CA 94303-0139 Annual Reviews 01.01.1999; 4139 El Camino Way, P.O. Box 10139 Annual Reviews Inc; USA Annual Reviews, Inc
• Subjects: Animal Human Relations; animality; Animals; Anthropological analysis; Anthropology; Apiculture; Colonialism; Commodities; Cultural anthropology; Culture; Dogs; Ecology; Ethnology; Field of ethnology; Human Nature; Humans; Identity; Nature; Pastoralism; Politics; Primates; Social Constructionism; Social Relations; Social Science Research; Social Theories; Sociocultural factors; Sources and methods; Wild animals; New York; Chicago Illinois; United Kingdom > UK; United States > US; Nature; Field of research; Human-animal relation; Interdisciplinary Approach; Literature review; Anthropology; Animality; Social relations; Ethnic identity; Colonialism; Sexual identity; Culture; Social identity
• ISSN: 0084-6570; 1545-4290
• DOI: 10.1146/annurev.anthro.28.1.201

Humans' relationships with animals, increasingly the subject of controversy, have long been of interest to those whose primary aim has been the better understanding of humans' relationships with other humans. Since this topic was last reviewed here, human-animal relationships have undergone considerable reexamination, reflecting key trends in the history of social analysis, including concerns with connections between anthropology and colonialism and with the construction of race, class, and gender identities. There have been many attempts to integrate structuralist or symbolic approaches with those focused on environmental, political, and economic dimensions. Human-animal relationships are now much more likely to be considered in dynamic terms, and consequently, there has been much interdisciplinary exchange between anthropologists and historians. Some research directly engages moral and political concerns about animals, but it is likely that sociocultural research on human-animal relationships will continue to be as much, if not more, about humans.