Animal symbolism

E. Dounias, E. Motte-Florac, M. Mesnil, M. Dunham (éd.)
Editions de l’IRD

2007

As science renders the border between humans and animals ever hazier, animals are more and more an object of study. This border is studied here through symbolism, an area where the images of human society and the animal kingdom each reflect back upon one another.
What place does Man allot to animals in art, religion, social relations, economies, politics? What aspects of human culture are subordinate to animals? Which species are thus invested with symbolic values and which powers are attributed to them?
Forty specialists from varied horizons invite us to explore the ways in which humans structure their relations with animals throughout time and space, how humans' imaginations people the world around them and give life to fantastic forms, which part of themselves different cultures project onto animals.
This volume also affords a clearer vision of the stakes at play in the policies pertaining to environmental preservation.