vulture
Thom van Dooren
Reaktion Books, UK; 2011
Vultures circling in the sky above, or simply sitting and watching, are almost universally associated with death. But, while it is undoubtedly true that vultures have taken to a life of scavenging with particular enthusiasm, that their lives, more than most, have come to be structured around the deaths of others, there is far more to this diverse and fascinating family of birds than a simple association with putrefaction and the macabre.
There are big vultures and little vultures; vultures that are despised and others that are deeply loved; and there are vultures that eat predominantly bone, and others that have gone (mostly) vegetarian. In human communities vultures have occupied predictable roles like disposing of the dead and officiating over human sacrifices, but they have just as often been viewed as courageous and noble creatures, as indispensible in the containment of waste and disease, as world creators and divine mothers.
This book offers a glimpse into the tangled natural and cultural histories of vultures: from some of the earliest known Neolithic sites (in which vultures are thought to have consumed the dead), through to contemporary efforts to save Indian vultures from extinction and reintroduce bearded vultures to the European Alps. Ultimately, this book draws out some of the rich diversity of vultures themselves, as well as the many ways in which people have understood and lived with them, in an effort to reinvigorate a sense of curiosity, appreciation and wonder for these incredible winged scavengers.
Vulture will be published in mid 2011 as part of Reaktion Books' Animals Series.
Reaktion Books, UK; 2011
Vultures circling in the sky above, or simply sitting and watching, are almost universally associated with death. But, while it is undoubtedly true that vultures have taken to a life of scavenging with particular enthusiasm, that their lives, more than most, have come to be structured around the deaths of others, there is far more to this diverse and fascinating family of birds than a simple association with putrefaction and the macabre.
There are big vultures and little vultures; vultures that are despised and others that are deeply loved; and there are vultures that eat predominantly bone, and others that have gone (mostly) vegetarian. In human communities vultures have occupied predictable roles like disposing of the dead and officiating over human sacrifices, but they have just as often been viewed as courageous and noble creatures, as indispensible in the containment of waste and disease, as world creators and divine mothers.
This book offers a glimpse into the tangled natural and cultural histories of vultures: from some of the earliest known Neolithic sites (in which vultures are thought to have consumed the dead), through to contemporary efforts to save Indian vultures from extinction and reintroduce bearded vultures to the European Alps. Ultimately, this book draws out some of the rich diversity of vultures themselves, as well as the many ways in which people have understood and lived with them, in an effort to reinvigorate a sense of curiosity, appreciation and wonder for these incredible winged scavengers.
Vulture will be published in mid 2011 as part of Reaktion Books' Animals Series.
