About the Book
Investigations into the cultural significance of that most familiar and charismatic group of animals, bears.
Bears are iconic animals, playing a variety of roles in human culture. They have been portrayed as gods, monsters, kings, fools, brothers, lovers, and dancers; they are seen as protectors of the forest; symbols of masculinity; a comfort for children; and act as symbols for conservation and environmental issues. They also symbolise wilderness, reinforcing and maintaining our connection to the natural world. And stories abound of cultures that gathered berries in the same fields as bears and fished on the same rivers; consequently a wealth of myths, legends and folklore has informed us of our place in the world and the deep connection we have with bears.
The essays collected here provide a rich selection of views on the human/bear relationships. They explore how bears are an influence in contemporary art, and how they are represented in the illustrations in children's literature and in museum exhibitions. The connection between bears and native peoples, and how contemporary society lives alongside these animals, provides an understanding of current attitudes and approaches to bear management and conservation. The history of captive bears is brought into contemporary relief by considering the fate of captive bears held in Asian countries for bile production. Other pieces look at how bears feature in gay culture, and are an intrinsic component to researchon the Yeti and Sasquatch. Together, these articles present an insight into the changing face of attitudes towards nature, species survival and the significance of conservation engagement in the twenty-first century. Biologists, historians, anthropologists, cultural theorists, conservationists and museologists will all find riches in the detail presented in this bear cornucopia.
OWEN NEVIN is Associate Vice-Chancellor, Gladstone Region, CQUniversity, Australia; IAN CONVERY is Professor of Environment and Society at the University of Cumbria; PETER DAVIS is Emeritus Professor of Museology in the International Centre for Cultural and Heritage Studies at Newcastle University.
Contributors: Philip Charles, Melanie Clapham, Ian Convery, Koen Cuyten, Elizabeth O Davis, Peter Davis, Sarah Elmeligi, Beatrice Frank, Barrie K. Gilbert, Jenny Anne Glikman, Tracy Ann Hayes, Mike Jeffries, Jon Jonsson, John Kitchin, Miha Krofel, Gareth Longstaff, Henry McGhie, Jeff Meldrum, Owen T. Nevin, Heather Prince, Lynn Rogers, Kristinn Schram, Bryndis Snaebjoernsdottir, Russ Van Horn, Mark Wilson, Samantha Young.
Table of Contents:
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
List of Abbreviations
Foreword: The Bear: A Cultural and Natural Heritage
Barrie K. Gilbert
Introduction: What is a Bear?
Owen T. Nevin, Ian Convery, Peter Davis, John Kitchin and Melanie Clapham
BEAR-PEOPLE INTERACTIONS
The Spirit Bear
Philip Charles
Out of the Wild Wood and into our Beds: The Evolutionary History of Teddy Bears and the Natural Selection of Deadly Cuteness
Mike Jeffries
Bears within the Human Landscape: Cultural and Demographic Factors Influencing the Use of Bear Parts in Cambodia and Laos
Elizabeth O Davis and Jenny Anne Glikman
Bears in Gay Culture: Histories, Discourses and Anthropomorphism
Gareth Longstaff
Bears, Wildmen, Yeti and Sasquatch
Jeff Meldrum
Bears in Children's Literature
Tracy Hayes, Heather Prince and Ian Convery
Knowing Individual Bears
Owen T. Nevin, Ian Convery and John Kitchin
BEARS IN THE PUBLIC GAZE
Bears Behind Bars: Captive Bears Throughout History
Koen Cuyten and Ian Convery
The Bear in the Museum
Peter Davis
Museum Polar Bears and Climate Change
Henry McGhie
On the Oblique Imperative: What Revealing Conceals and Concealing may Reveal
Mark Wilson and Bryndis Snæbjörnsdóttir
Visitations: The Social and Cultural History of Polar Bear Narratives in Iceland and the North Atlantic
Kristinn Schram and Jón Jónsson
BEAR BIOLOGY, MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION
Chemical Signalling in Brown Bears
Melanie Clapham, Owen T. Nevin and Ian Convery
Reducing Uncertainty in Bear Management
Sarah Elmeligi, Owen T. Nevin and Ian Convery
Living with Bears in Europe
Miha Krofel
Citizen Science and Bears
Sarah Elmeligi, Owen T. Nevin and Ian Convery
Understanding Local Folklore and Attitudes in Apennine Brown Bear Conservation
Jenny Anne Glikman and Beatrice Frank
Reducing Human Impacts on Andean Bears in NW Peru Through Community-based Conservation
Samantha A Young, Russell C Van Horn and Jenny Anne Glikman
Afterword: 'It's Me Bear': Reflections on a Unique Career Working with Bears
Lynn Rogers
List of Contributors
Index
Previous titles
About the Author :
OWEN T. NEVIN is Chief Executive Officer of the Western Australian Biodiversity Science Institute (WABSI), Adjunct Professor of Conservation Biology at CQUniversity Australia and Anniversary Visiting Professor of Conservation Biology at the University of Cumbria IAN CONVERY is Professor of Environment & Society at the University of Cumbria. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and is a director of the Lifescapes Project conservation charity. PETER DAVIS is Emeritus Professor of Museology in the School of Arts and Cultures at Newcastle University, UK. His research interests relate to the connections between place, nature, heritage, communities and sustainability. IAN CONVERY is Professor of Environment & Society at the University of Cumbria. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and is a director of the Lifescapes Project conservation charity. OWEN T. NEVIN is Chief Executive Officer of the Western Australian Biodiversity Science Institute (WABSI), Adjunct Professor of Conservation Biology at CQUniversity Australia and Anniversary Visiting Professor of Conservation Biology at the University of Cumbria PETER DAVIS is Emeritus Professor of Museology in the School of Arts and Cultures at Newcastle University, UK. His research interests relate to the connections between place, nature, heritage, communities and sustainability.
Review :
[A]n interesting and informative scholarly volume
