We Were So Close. Human–Animal Relations from Prehistory to the Present Day
Original title: Nous étions si proches. Les relations Homme-animal de la préhistoire à nos jours
We Were So Close. Human–Animal Relations from Prehistory to the Present Day
Original title: Nous étions si proches. Les relations Homme-animal de la préhistoire à nos jours
Synopsis
This is the story of a millennia-long companionship that came to an end yesterday.
The animal has vanished from our lives. Wild animals are confined to zoos or endangered because of human activity. Farm animals are, for the most part, hidden from our sight. The only ones we remain close to are pets, whose wild side we erase.
What does this distancing reveal about us?
To find out, Marylène Patou-Mathis analyzed the long history of human–animal relationships, from the emergence of the Homo sapiens to the present day. For 300,000 years, animals have provided for us, forged our myths and beliefs, and contributed to our development. We have written a shared history with them, up until the 19th century.
This essay recounts this shift, which is incredibly recent on a human scale. It offers a crucial lens for understanding what is at stake between us and them, and what the future of humankind would look like without animals.
Marketing Information
Under option: Germany, Spain, Italy, China, Netherlands, Brazil, Korea, Poland
