Performance and Human–Animal Entanglements

Anna Wieczorkiewicz is a cultural anthropologist and Professor at the University of Warsaw, Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology. Her interdisciplinary research lies at the intersection of anthropology, philosophy, sociology, and literature. She is the author of books exploring representations of the body in museums, bodily practices, representations of cultural diversity, the cultural history of monstrosity, travel and tourism practices, and travel writing.Sylwia Siedlecka is a literary scholar, cultural studies researcher, and writer, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Western and Southern Slavic Studies, University of Warsaw. Her work focuses on the cultures of Central Europe and the Balkans, with an emphasis on cultural performances, social imaginaries, cultural transfers, and the history and cultural metaphors of the circus.

• Introductory Part 1. An Octopus Performs Human–Animal Entanglements 2. The Authors' Conceptual Frame Section I. Training Animals – Taming Emotions 1. Emotion and Animal Agency: Precedents in Performance and Circus 2. A Woman and a Bear on Stage: Interspecies Relationships in the Biographies of Maxi Niedermeyer 3. In Quest of Humanity: The (Re)presentation of Wolves in Contemporary Circus Performances Section II. Harnessed to the Show Machine 4. Conceptual Boundaries: Ethnographic Shows as a Stage for Human–Animal Relations Conceptual Boundaries 5. 'Botched' and Toxic Works of Taxidermy: The Afterlives of Dead Animals and the Paradigm of Conservation in Museum Collections 6. Mistreated Performers: Animals as Tourist Attractions in Croatia Section III. Blurring Boundaries of Scenes, Scenarios, and Species 7. A Performing Monkey: Human Nature in a Distorting Mirror? Reflections on the Polish Translation of the Melodrama 'Jocko, the Brazilian Monkey' 8. Odd Symbiosis: Parasites in Circus 9. Animal Presence in Gaming: Transformative Design and Play Practices Section IV. Involved in Human Conflicts 10. Dancing Bears and Jumping Tigers: Animals in the Circus and Nazi Ideology 11. Sharik the Dog and Stepan the Cat in Wartime Scenes: Transformations of the Idea of Heroism Performed by Animal Protagonists 12. From Forest to Facebook: The Role of Bears in Reflecting and Shaping Societal Polarisation