Bleakely (psychology, Cornwall College, UK) has been at the forefront of research, development, and teaching in Britain in post-Jungian archetypal psychology, shamanic psychology, and the introduction of ideas from post-modern structuralist and postmodern thinking into education practices. In this work he considers issues such as animal conservation, rights, and welfare; but his emphasis is on the importance of textual and imagined animals and the affective and aesthetic relationship that humans have with animals. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Human-animal relations are not confined to the literal animal, but extend to psychological, textual and conceptual animal presences. Drawing from a wide range of disciplines, including contemporary cultural events, this book tracks the significance of the animal for human thinking, imagination, religion and aesthetic life. Where humanity can be seen to have defined itself through difference from animal life, Alan Bleakley argues that a restoration to the animal commonwealth is essential in an era of ecological crisis, and this has opened up ecocriticism as a new arena of study.
