The subject lends itself to both an academic and a larger audience, and for a similar reason: the lurid fascination with the dark side of human behavior. What sets Petrinovich’s account apart from the large body of literature on cannibalism, both popular and anthropological, is the underlying premise. Cannibalism as an alternative to starvation is tacitly condoned by the same biological morality that would condemn cannibalism of other sorts. Deep as the taboos may be, the survival instinct runs deeper.
CONTENTS
Preface · 1. Introduction to People Eating · 2. Cannibalism during Western Migrations · 3. Shipwreck Disasters · 4. Airline and Arctic Cannibals · 5. Osteoarchaeological Evidence · 6. Ritual Cannibalism · 7. Myth in Anthropology · 8. Political Famines and Starvation · 9. The Literary Imagination · References · Index
