Contesting Leviathan

Les Beldo

ISBN 10: 022665740X / ISBN 13: 9780226657400

Edité par The University of Chicago Press, US, 2019

A propos de cet article

In 1999, off the coast of the Pacific Northwest, the first grey whale in seven decades was killed by Makah whalers. The hunt marked the return of a centuries-old tradition and, predictably, set off a fierce political and environmental debate. Whalers from the Makah Indian Tribe and anti-whaling activists from across the country have clashed for over twenty years, with no end to this conflict in sight. In Contesting Leviathan, anthropologist Les Beldo describes the complex judicial and political climate for whale conservation in the United States, and the limits of the current framework in which whales are treated as "large fish" managed by the National Marine Fisheries Service. Emphasizing the moral dimension of the conflict between the Makah, the US government, and anti-whaling activists, Beldo brings to light the lived ethics of human-animal interaction, as well as how different groups claim to speak for the whale--the only silent party in this conflict. A timely and sensitive study of a complicated issue, this book calls into question anthropological expectations regarding who benefits from the exercise of state power in environmental conflicts, especially where indigenous groups are involved. Vividly told and rigorously argued, Contesting Leviathan will appeal to anthropologists, scholars of indigenous culture, animal activists, and any reader interested in the place of animals in contemporary life.

N° de réf. du vendeur LU-9780226657400

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: Contesting Leviathan
• Éditeur: The University of Chicago Press, US
• Date de parution: 2019
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN à 10 chiffres: 022665740X
• ISBN à 13 chiffres: 9780226657400
• Reliure: Paperback
• État de l'article: New

A propos de ce titre

Synopsis

In 1999, off the coast of the Pacific Northwest, the first gray whale in seven decades was killed by Makah whalers. The hunt marked the return of a centuries-old tradition and, predictably, set off a fierce political and environmental debate. Whalers from the Makah Indian Tribe and antiwhaling activists have clashed for over twenty years, with no end to this conflict in sight.

In Contesting Leviathan, anthropologist Les Beldo describes the complex judicial and political climate for whale conservation in the United States, and the limits of the current framework in which whales are treated as “large fish” managed by the National Marine Fisheries Service. Emphasizing the moral dimension of the conflict between the Makah, the US government, and antiwhaling activists, Beldo brings to light the lived ethics of human-animal interaction, as well as how different groups claim to speak for the whale—the only silent party in this conflict. A timely and sensitive study of a complicated issue, this book calls into question anthropological expectations regarding who benefits from the exercise of state power in environmental conflicts, especially where indigenous groups are involved. Vividly told and rigorously argued, Contesting Leviathan will appeal to anthropologists, scholars of indigenous culture, animal activists, and any reader interested in the place of animals in contemporary life.

À propos de l?auteur

Les Beldo lives in Michigan and is a cultural anthropologist specializing in morality, science, and the environment. He was previously a visiting assistant professor at Oberlin College and a postdoctoral fellow at Williams College and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.