Animal to Edible [Paperback]

An anthropological study of the abattoirs of south-west France.Why do we find it necessary to slaughter living animals in order to enjoy their flesh? And why does this act offend our sensibilities, without necessarily making us into vegetarians? This study of abattoirs in southwest France brings to light a complex system of avoidances.Why do we find it necessary to slaughter living animals in order to enjoy their flesh? And why does this act offend our sensibilities, without necessarily making us into vegetarians? This study of abattoirs in southwest France brings to light a complex system of avoidances.Why do we find it necessary to slaughter living animals in order to enjoy their flesh? And why does this act offend our sensibilities, without necessarily making us into vegetarians? In her study of abattoirs in southwest France, Noélie Vialles brings to light a complex system of avoidances. Her analysis reveals that beyond the specific denial of the work of the abattoirs lies a whole system of symbolic representations of blood, human beings and animals, a symbolic code that determines the way in which we prepare domestic animals for the table.Preface; Introduction; 1. A place that is no-place; 2. Flaying the animal: the disjunctions involved; 3. Flaying the animal: the patient metamorphosis; 4. The shedding of blood; 5. Men and animals; Conclusion. ...a truly fascinating piece of history and ethnography....This book is not for the faint of heart, but it is an excellent work on a subject which has much more to it than meets the eye. Richard Lobban, Anthrozoös