Animals in World History

Helen Louise Cowie is Professor of History at the University of York. She is the author of Conquering Nature in Spain and its Empire, 1750-1850 (2011), Exhibiting Animals in Nineteenth-Century Britain: Empathy, Education, Entertainment (2014), Llama (2017), and Victims of Fashion: Animal Commodities in Victorian Britain (2021).

"No one working in historical animal studies today surpasses Helen Cowie’s depth and breadth of knowledge. A keen analyst of the cultural and economic demands humans place on other animals, Cowie never writes of non-human animals as mere resources. Using historical documents, archaeology and the biological sciences, her accounts give voice to animal sentience and agency. From turnspit dogs who refused to work on their day off to an alpaca recorded as plaintively moaning in remembrance of two conspecifics who died during their nineteenth-century voyage from Peru to Australia, Cowie’s animals are not Cartesian stimulus-response machines. Animals in World History is the summary overview needed to move a growing field forward."Abel A. Alves, Professor of History, Ball State University"The book presents a veritable kaleidoscope with a plethora of human and non-human agents and voices. [...] As an introduction, the book will [...] prove to be an inspiring resource for students and scholars alike that are interested in human-animal relations."Timm Schönfelder, Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe"Animals in World History is a well-written and extensively researched work that offers a valuable contribution to the field… This book is not only the perfect introduction for those new to, and looking to orient themselves with, the field of animal history, but also offers fascinating case studies for the more experienced animal historian."Eleanor Larsson, Doctoral Researcher Administration Officer, University of Westminster

• Introduction 1. Consumption 2. Labour 3. Companionship 4. Exhibition 5. Knowledge 6. Biodiversity 7. Animal Rights