This manual provides a comprehensive examination of animal cruelty, exploring its societal implications and the complex relationships between humans and animals. It delves into the lived experiences and understandings of individuals involved in animal cruelty cases, challenging decontextualized constructs of the term. Through extensive interviews with a diverse range of individuals, including humane agents, students, and shelter workers, this work offers a nuanced perspective on how the meaning of cruelty shapes identities and ideologies, contributing to the ongoing discourse in animal studies, sociology, and psychology.
The purpose of this manual is to serve as a detailed resource for academics, students, animal welfare professionals, and anyone interested in animal rights and the sociology of violence. It covers the historical context of understanding animal cruelty, ethical considerations surrounding animal welfare and law enforcement, and presents case studies from various groups. The manual aims to foster a deeper, more informed understanding of a critical societal issue, offering insights derived from rigorous research and a multidisciplinary approach.
Psychiatrists define cruelty to animals as a psychological problem or personality disorder. Legally, animal cruelty is described by a list of behaviors. In Just a Dog, Arnold Arluke argues that our current constructs of animal cruelty are decontextualized—imposed without regard to the experience of the groups committing the act. Yet those who engage in animal cruelty have their own understandings of their actions and of themselves as actors. In this fascinating book, Arluke probes those understandings and reveals the surprising complexities of our relationships with animals. Just a Dog draws from interviews with more than 250 people, including humane agents who enforce cruelty laws, college students who tell stories of childhood abuse of animals, hoarders who chronically neglect the welfare of many animals, shelter workers who cope with the ethics of euthanizing animals, and public relations experts who use incidents of animal cruelty for fundraising purposes. Through these case studies, Arluke shows how the meaning of "cruelty" reflects and helps to create identities and ideologies.
Author: Arluke, Arnold, Ph.D.
Publisher: Temple University Press
Illustration: N
Language: ENG
Title: Just a Dog: Understanding Animal Cruelty and Ourselves. Animals, Culture, and Society.
Pages: 00232 (Encrypted PDF)
On Sale: 2006-06-21
SKU-13/ISBN: 9781592134717
Category: Nature : Animal Rights
Category: Social Science : Violence in Society
Psychiatrists define cruelty to animals as a psychological problem or personality disorder. Legally, animal cruelty is described by a list of behaviors. In Just a Dog, Arnold Arluke argues that our current constructs of animal cruelty are decontextualized—imposed without regard to the experience of the groups committing the act. Yet those who engage in animal cruelty have their own understandings of their actions and of themselves as actors. In this fascinating book, Arluke probes those understandings and reveals the surprising complexities of our relationships with animals. Just a Dog draws from interviews with more than 250 people, including humane agents who enforce cruelty laws, college students who tell stories of childhood abuse of animals, hoarders who chronically neglect the welfare of many animals, shelter workers who cope with the ethics of euthanizing animals, and public relations experts who use incidents of animal cruelty for fundraising purposes. Through these case studies, Arluke shows how the meaning of "cruelty" reflects and helps to create identities and ideologies.
Author: Arluke, Arnold, Ph.D.
Publisher: Temple University Press
Illustration: N
Language: ENG
Title: Just a Dog: Understanding Animal Cruelty and Ourselves. Animals, Culture, and Society.
Pages: 00232 (Encrypted PDF)
On Sale: 2006-06-21
SKU-13/ISBN: 9781592134717
Category: Nature : Animal Rights
Category: Social Science : Violence in Society
