Animal to Edible

An anthropological study of the abattoirs of south-west France.

Noélie Vialles's study of abattoirs in south-west France describes a complex system of avoidances. She reveals that beyond the specific denial of the work of the abattoirs lives a whole system of symbolic representations of blood, human beings and animals, a symbolic code that determines the way in which we prepare domestic animals for the table.Why do we find it necessary to slaughter living animals in order to enjoy their flesh? And why does this act offend our sensibilities, without necessarily making us into vegetarians? We no longer tolerate sacrifices, public butchering during festivals, butchers operating openly in the middle of our cities. Today, animals are killed in invisible abattoirs, set a good distance from our normal activities. This recent separation between the slaughter-house and the butcher's establishment is somehow essential to the modern meat diet. In her study of abattoirs in south-west France, Noélie Vialles brings to light a complex system of avoidances. Her analysis reveals that beyond the specific denial of the work of the abattoirs lies a whole system of symbolic representations of blood, human beings and animals, a symbolic code that determines the way in which we prepare domestic animals for the table.