Waiting for Wolves in Japan: An Anthropological Study of People-Wildlife Relations (Oxford Studies in Social and Cultural Anthropology) [Hardcover]

John Knight (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 8, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0199255180 | ISBN-13: 978-0199255184

A Japanese conservationist group has launched a campaign for the reintroduction of the wolf in Japan, arguing that the wolf would be the savior of upland areas of Japan which are suffering from wildlife pestilence. This book examines the reintroduction proposal by drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in one of the candidate areas, and shows that conflicts with wildlife are inextricably bound up with social conflict among people, and that wildlife pestilence must therefore be understood in terms of its symbolic, as well as material dimensions.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Providing a fund of information, mostly about animals and their representation in villages around their habitat and national popular culture, John Knight successfully introduces welcome sophistication into the discussion of human-wildlife relations. Yet he writes with admirable cogency and simplicity to reach a wider audience in environmental anthropolgy, cultural studies of nature, and the world of conservation policymakers. This fine book should receive a large and appreciative audience.--K. Sivaramakrishnan,Journal of Japanese Studies

"This volume on people-wildlife relations in Japan is a very welcome addition to contemporary ethnographies of Japanese society... Very well written, theoretically informed and with a deep sensitivity to the empirical material, it very successfully presents issues that go beyond the stress on wolves (as its title suggests) to deal with the wider relation between society and large mammals... This volume contains a host of interesting insights that have importance both for the study of societal-animal relations and for the understanding of contemporary courage and masculinity involved in boar hunting... To conclude, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this excellent ethnography. It is a fascinating, well-written and insightful addition to the study of contemporary Japan and to the exploration of people-wildlife relations."--Eyal Ben-Ari, Social Anthropology

"Through a critical examination of wildlife pestilence and the [wolf] reintroduction proposal, John Knight has produced a superb study that reveals much about human-animal interactions and relationships among humans. This book is sure to be of interest to students of anthropology, ecology, and animal studies, as well as Asian studies."--Aaron Skabelund, Journal of Asian Studies

About the Author

John Knight is a Lecturer, Queen's University Belfast.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (May 8, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0199255180
• ISBN-13: 978-0199255184
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,570,219 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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