New Book Post for Network in Canadian History and Environment
I was delighted to be asked to write about my book Literature, Science, and Animal Advocacy in Canada for the Network in Canadian History and Environment. I took the opportunity to discuss two factors that led me to write the book: the curious incident of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt criticizing Canadian animal stories in the Nature Fakers controvery (1903-1907) and the current legal status of animal abuse as ‘property damage’ in the Canadian Criminal Code, first established in 1892.
Understanding the discrepancy between animal representation and animal protection in Canada preoccupied me throughout the writing of the book. What emerged from the research was a fascinating story about how the ways in which we discuss and perceive other species over time. I found that, most often, our debates about animals centre on conflicts between who has the ‘authority’ to speak on their behalf.