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Just a Dog

Animal Cruelty, Self, and Society

Arnold Arluke author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Temple University Press,U.S.

Published:16th Jun '06

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Just a Dog cover

Argues that animal cruelty must be understood in terms of social relationships, as actively created and used by social groups to achieve sought-after identities

Argues that animal cruelty must be understood in terms of social relationships, as actively used by social groups to achieve sought-after identities. The author situates cruelty in situations where groups of people decide, on their own terms, what constitutes the wrongful harm of animals and how best to communicate their understanding to others.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 \u0022cruelty\u0022 reflects and helps to create identities and ideologies.

"Through courageous research Arluke set aside his judgment to explore how abusers see their behavior. He has given us a sociological understanding of animal abuse that recognizes the situational quality of cruelty and its ability to shape identity...In Just a Dog, Arnold Arluke uses cruelty to raise questions about what it means to be human. He also adds to our understanding of the complex and conflicting ways we humans regard other animals." -Contemporary Sociology "Arluke (Regarding Animals), an authority on animal cruelty, believes that in order to formulate effective programs and policies to combat such behavior, society must have an in-depth understanding of why people mistreat or neglect animals and of the cultural and social factors that encourage abuse. Wisely, the author keeps passages describing specific examples of cruelty to a minimum, and he refrains from making moral judgments." -Publishers Weekly

ISBN: 9781592134724

Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 10mm

Weight: unknown

232 pages