Buy Sacred, Symbolic, and Contested by Gregory S. Szarycz
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Home > Religion, Philosophy & Sprituality > Philosophy > Topics in philosophy > Social and political philosophy > Sacred, Symbolic, and Contested: Critical Perspectives on Human-Animal Relations in Culture and Society(31 Human-Animal Studies)
Sacred, Symbolic, and Contested: Critical Perspectives on Human-Animal Relations in Culture and Society(31 Human-Animal Studies)

Sacred, Symbolic, and Contested: Critical Perspectives on Human-Animal Relations in Culture and Society(31 Human-Animal Studies)


     0     
5
4
3
2
1



International Edition


X
About the Book

Sacred, Symbolic, and Contested explores how animals are revered, represented, and disputed across global cultures. Through vivid case studies—from sacred cows in India to ritual slaughter in Judaism and animal commodification in industrial societies—this book reveals how human-animal relationships express deep ethical, religious, and political tensions. You’ll encounter surprising contradictions: animals celebrated in myth yet mistreated in practice or protected in law yet consumed in daily life. Drawing on sociology, religious studies, and critical animal studies, this timely work invites you to rethink the role of animals in shaping human identity, culture, and moral responsibility.

Table of Contents:
Contents Preface Acknowledgments List of Tables and Figures Introduction Part 1: Sacred Introduction to Part 1 1 Sacred Souls, Cursed Beings: Unveiling the Treatment of Animals across World Religions  1 Religious Roots of Utilitarian Treatment of Animals?  2 Ancient Egyptian Beliefs and Their Reverence for Animals  3 Separatism or Harmony with Nature? Re-evaluating Prehistoric Ideologies and Human–Environmental Relationships  4 Confronting Taboos  5 Ceremonial Purity  6 Slaughter 2 Traditional Folk Beliefs and the Role of Animals in Polish Rural Rites 3 From Tradition to Modernity: the Evolution of Ritual Slaughter in Islamic Culture  1 Commands Regarding Ritual Slaughter of Animals  2 Controversies Regarding Dhabihah Ritual Slaughter  3 The Debate Regarding Ritual Animal Slaughter in France and Worldwide 4 Of Gods and Gills: a Historical Exploration of Fish in Culture  1 From the Sacred to the Profane  2 Ancient Gods  3 Twilight of the Ancient Gods Part 2: Symbolic Introduction to Part 2 5 Between Rationalism and Sentimentalism: Philosophical Considerations Regarding Ethical Norms Concerning Animals  1 Biological Chauvinism and the Concept of Speciesism  2 Anthropocentrism and Hominism in Philosophy  3 New Bio-ethics: a Paradigm Shift  4 Final Thoughts 6 From Companions to Companionship: Navigating Human–Animal Interactions and the Rise of Animaltronics in Japan  1 Philosophical Systems and Religious Influences on Human–Animal Relations in Japan  2 The Evolution of Practices Related to Animal Slaughter  3 Companion Animals in Contemporary Japan  4 Robotic Animals—Continuity in the Human–Animal Relationship?  5 Animals Caught in the Trap of Anthropomorphism 7 Horse and Human: a Partnership through the Ages  1 A Pragmatic Alliance: a Historical Perspective on Human– Horse Interaction  2 The Evolution of Breeding Practices 8 The Snake in the Tradition of Cultures and Religions: an Outline of Selected Issues  1 The Snake in Mythologies, Beliefs, and Symbolism  2 The Snake as Life Symbol 9 Animal Insults: Why Do We Refer to Animals When Insulting Someone?  1 Linguistic Examples  2 General Conclusions  3 Strategic-Manipulative Interpretation  4 Flat Ontology and Dark Ecology  5 Non-dualistic Language Part 3: Contested Introduction to Part 3 10 The Era of Defaunation: Civilization at War with Animals  1 Animals and Our Ancestors  2 Current Efforts to Safeguard Biodiversity  3 The “Great Acceleration” in the Loss of Biological Diversity  4 Scientists’ Wake-up Call to Humanity and the Extent of Animal Decline  5 The Causes of Species Extinction  6 Planetary Boundaries and Species Extinction  7 A World on the Edge  8 The Great Killing 11 Paws and Hooves in the Polar Snow: Careless Compassion in Extreme Environments?  1 The Great Antarctic Quest: the English Expedition Takes Shape  2 Pain, Suffering, and Death  3 Discussion and Conclusions 12 Animals in Sport and Entertainment: a Cultural Lens on Controversial Encounters  1 Horses in Sport and Recreation  2 Canine Sports and Activities  3 The Global History and Culture of Horse Racing  4 Greyhound Racing and Unusual Animal Races  5 Ethical Concerns and Training Practices  6 From Ritual to Brutality: Historical Animal Combat  7 Rodeo: Tradition, Sport, and Contention  8 Hunting, Falconry, and Human–Animal Partnerships  9 From Pigeon Shooting to Modern Clay Target Sports  10 Exotic Pets and Extreme Breeds  11 Zoos, Aquariums, and Animal Captivity  12 Circus Animals and the Decline of Animal Acts  13 From Groundhog Day to Cultural Folklore  14 Conclusion: toward Ethical Entertainment 13 The Plea for Life: Animal Mercy Rights Examined through the Corrida de Toros  1 Pardoning Animals in History  2 Clemency Law during Corrida de Toros  3 Those That Survived  4 Is Bullfighting a Cultural Phenomenon?  5 Concerts, Cabarets, and Corridas 14 Animal Welfare in China: Exploring Philosophical Foundations and Legal Frameworks  1 Animals in Chinese Philosophy  2 Legal Protection of Animals in China  3 People’s Republic of China Wildlife Protection Law  4 Amendment to the Wildlife Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China  5 Concluding Thoughts Conclusion  1 Integrative Perspectives on Human–Animal Relations  2 Rethinking Ethical Frameworks and Cultural Narratives  3 Implications for Environmental and Social Policy  4 Future Research Directions  5 Concluding Reflections Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Gregory S. Szarycz is a cultural sociologist whose interdisciplinary work spans human-animal studies, ritual, and symbolic identity. He has written about animal metaphors in the Old Testament in Between the Species and animal performativity in Brill’s Theorizing Animals (2011).


Best Sellers


Product Details
  • ISBN-13: 9789004733107
  • Publisher: Brill
  • Publisher Imprint: Brill
  • Height: 235 mm
  • No of Pages: 308
  • Series Title: 31 Human-Animal Studies
  • Sub Title: Critical Perspectives on Human-Animal Relations in Culture and Society
  • Width: 155 mm
  • ISBN-10: 9004733108
  • Publisher Date: 04 Sep 2025
  • Binding: Hardback
  • Language: English
  • Returnable: N
  • Spine Width: 26 mm
  • Weight: 675 gr


Similar Products

Add Photo
Add Photo

Customer Reviews

REVIEWS      0     
Click Here To Be The First to Review this Product
Sacred, Symbolic, and Contested: Critical Perspectives on Human-Animal Relations in Culture and Society(31 Human-Animal Studies)
Brill -
Sacred, Symbolic, and Contested: Critical Perspectives on Human-Animal Relations in Culture and Society(31 Human-Animal Studies)
Writing guidlines
We want to publish your review, so please:
  • keep your review on the product. Review's that defame author's character will be rejected.
  • Keep your review focused on the product.
  • Avoid writing about customer service. contact us instead if you have issue requiring immediate attention.
  • Refrain from mentioning competitors or the specific price you paid for the product.
  • Do not include any personally identifiable information, such as full names.

Sacred, Symbolic, and Contested: Critical Perspectives on Human-Animal Relations in Culture and Society(31 Human-Animal Studies)

Required fields are marked with *

Review Title*
Review
    Add Photo Add up to 6 photos
    Would you recommend this product to a friend?
    Tag this Book Read more
    Does your review contain spoilers?
    What type of reader best describes you?
    I agree to the terms & conditions
    You may receive emails regarding this submission. Any emails will include the ability to opt-out of future communications.

    CUSTOMER RATINGS AND REVIEWS AND QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS TERMS OF USE

    These Terms of Use govern your conduct associated with the Customer Ratings and Reviews and/or Questions and Answers service offered by Bookswagon (the "CRR Service").


    By submitting any content to Bookswagon, you guarantee that:
    • You are the sole author and owner of the intellectual property rights in the content;
    • All "moral rights" that you may have in such content have been voluntarily waived by you;
    • All content that you post is accurate;
    • You are at least 13 years old;
    • Use of the content you supply does not violate these Terms of Use and will not cause injury to any person or entity.
    You further agree that you may not submit any content:
    • That is known by you to be false, inaccurate or misleading;
    • That infringes any third party's copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret or other proprietary rights or rights of publicity or privacy;
    • That violates any law, statute, ordinance or regulation (including, but not limited to, those governing, consumer protection, unfair competition, anti-discrimination or false advertising);
    • That is, or may reasonably be considered to be, defamatory, libelous, hateful, racially or religiously biased or offensive, unlawfully threatening or unlawfully harassing to any individual, partnership or corporation;
    • For which you were compensated or granted any consideration by any unapproved third party;
    • That includes any information that references other websites, addresses, email addresses, contact information or phone numbers;
    • That contains any computer viruses, worms or other potentially damaging computer programs or files.
    You agree to indemnify and hold Bookswagon (and its officers, directors, agents, subsidiaries, joint ventures, employees and third-party service providers, including but not limited to Bazaarvoice, Inc.), harmless from all claims, demands, and damages (actual and consequential) of every kind and nature, known and unknown including reasonable attorneys' fees, arising out of a breach of your representations and warranties set forth above, or your violation of any law or the rights of a third party.


    For any content that you submit, you grant Bookswagon a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, transferable right and license to use, copy, modify, delete in its entirety, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from and/or sell, transfer, and/or distribute such content and/or incorporate such content into any form, medium or technology throughout the world without compensation to you. Additionally,  Bookswagon may transfer or share any personal information that you submit with its third-party service providers, including but not limited to Bazaarvoice, Inc. in accordance with  Privacy Policy


    All content that you submit may be used at Bookswagon's sole discretion. Bookswagon reserves the right to change, condense, withhold publication, remove or delete any content on Bookswagon's website that Bookswagon deems, in its sole discretion, to violate the content guidelines or any other provision of these Terms of Use.  Bookswagon does not guarantee that you will have any recourse through Bookswagon to edit or delete any content you have submitted. Ratings and written comments are generally posted within two to four business days. However, Bookswagon reserves the right to remove or to refuse to post any submission to the extent authorized by law. You acknowledge that you, not Bookswagon, are responsible for the contents of your submission. None of the content that you submit shall be subject to any obligation of confidence on the part of Bookswagon, its agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, partners or third party service providers (including but not limited to Bazaarvoice, Inc.)and their respective directors, officers and employees.

    Accept


    Inspired by your browsing history


    Your review has been submitted!

    You've already reviewed this product!