The Bear Culture, Nature, Heritage

About this book

Bears are iconic animals, playing a variety of roles in human culture. They have been portrayed as gods, monsters, kings, fools, brothers, lovers, and dancers; they are seen as protectors of the forest; symbols of masculinity; a comfort for children; and act as symbols for conservation and environmental issues. They also symbolise wilderness, reinforcing and maintaining our connection to the natural world. And stories abound of cultures that gathered berries in the same fields as bears and fished on the same rivers; consequently a wealth of myths, legends and folklore has informed us of our place in the world and the deep connection we have with bears.

The essays collected here provide a rich selection of views on the human/bear relationships. They explore how bears are an influence in contemporary art, and how they are represented in the illustrations in children's literature and in museum exhibitions. The connection between bears and native peoples, and how contemporary society lives alongside these animals, provides an understanding of current attitudes and approaches to bear management and conservation. The history of captive bears is brought into contemporary relief by considering the fate of captive bears held in Asian countries for bile production. Other pieces look at how bears feature in gay culture, and are an intrinsic component to research on the Yeti and Sasquatch. Together, these articles present an insight into the changing face of attitudes towards nature, species survival and the significance of conservation engagement in the twenty-first century. Biologists, historians, anthropologists, cultural theorists, conservationists and museologists will all find riches in the detail presented in this bear cornucopia.

Contents

- Foreword: The Bear: A Cultural and Natural Heritage
- Introduction: What is a Bear?
- The Spirit Bear
- Out of the Wild Wood and into our Beds: the Evolutionary History of Teddy Bears and the Natural Selection of Deadly Cuteness
- Bears within the Human Landscape: Cultural and Demographic Factors Influencing the Use of Bear Parts in Cambodia and Laos
- Bears in Gay Culture: Histories, Discourses and Anthropomorphism
- Bears, Wildmen, Yeti and Sasquatch
- Bears in Children's Literature
- Knowing Individual Bears
- Bears Behind Bars: Captive Bears throughout History
- The Bear in the Museum
- Museum Polar Bears and Climate Change
- On the Oblique Imperative: What Revealing Conceals and Concealing may Reveal
- Visitations: The Social and Cultural History of Polar Bear Narratives in Iceland and the North Atlantic
- Chemical Signalling in Brown Bears
- Reducing Uncertainty in Bear Management
- Living with Bears in Europe
- Citizen Science and Bears
- Understanding Local Folklore and Attitudes in Apennine Brown Bear Conservation
- Reducing Human Impacts on Andean Bears in NW Peru Through Community-based Conservation
- Afterword: 'It's Me Bear': Reflections on a Unique Career Working with Bears

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