"Winner of the 2016 Award for Distinguished Scholarship, Animals and Society Section of the American Sociological Association" "Winner of the 2015 Athenaeum Literary Award, The Athenaeum of Philadelphia" "Honorable Mention for the 2016 PROSE Award in Sociology & Social Work, Association of American Publishers" David Grazian is associate professor of sociology at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of Blue Chicago: The Search for Authenticity in Urban Blues Clubs, On the Make: The Hustle of Urban Nightlife, and Mix It Up: Popular Culture, Mass Media, and Society.
A close-up look at the contradictions and wonders of the modern zoo
Orangutans swing from Kevlar-lined fire hoses. Giraffes feast on celebratory birthday cakes topped with carrots instead of candles. Hi-tech dinosaur robots growl among steel trees, while owls watch animated cartoons on old television sets. In American Zoo, sociologist David Grazian takes us on a safari through the contemporary zoo, alive with its many contradictions and strange wonders.
Trading in his tweed jacket for a zoo uniform and a pair of muddy work boots, Grazian introduces us to zookeepers and animal rights activists, parents and toddlers, and the other human primates that make up the zoo's social world. He shows that in a major shift away from their unfortunate pasts, American zoos today emphasize naturalistic exhibits teeming with lush and immersive landscapes, breeding programs for endangered animals, and enrichment activities for their captive creatures. In doing so, zoos blur the imaginary boundaries we regularly use to separate culture from nature, humans from animals, and civilization from the wild. At the same time, zoos manage a wilderness of competing priorities-animal care, education, scientific research, and recreation-all while attempting to serve as centers for conservation in the wake of the current environmental and climate-change crisis. The world of the zoo reflects how we project our own prejudices and desires onto the animal kingdom, and invest nature with meaning and sentiment.
A revealing portrayal of comic animals, delighted children, and feisty zookeepers, American Zoo is a remarkable close-up exploration of a classic cultural attraction. "Although there are plenty of books about zoos, zoo ethnographies are a rare treat. . . . Grazian's impressive commitment to understanding zoo workers through everyday encounters adorns his book."---Irus Braverman, , Times Literary Supplement "A powerful portrait . . . peppered with delicious details."---Barbara Kiser, Nature "Inspiring. [Grazian] makes the reader repeatedly reflect on whether there might be better ways of educating the public and contributing to wildlife conservation."---Matthew Cobb, New Scientist "[American Zoo's] narratives of animal care workers inspire well-deserved laughter and tears." "An engaging account … discussing some interesting questions: Should large, intelligent mammals such as great apes be confined at all? Why are Americans so often concerned about the comfort of zoo animals when they don't worry about the vastly greater number of other caged animals--the ones being prepared for slaughter? Beyond entertainment and amusement, what should a zoo's role be regarding environmental protection or species conservation? American Zoo is a serious book … but Grazian's lively, readable prose makes it entertaining as well."---Nancy Szokan, Washington Post "Grazian has a sharp eye for detail and ethical tensions."---Amanda Gilroy, PopMatters "Zoos aren't places urban-dwelling humans go to see nature, [Grazian] argues--they're places we go to invent nature."---Kelly O'Brien, Boston Globe "The history of zoo design demonstrates that 'natural' enclosures serve humans more than the creatures who live within them. We favor artificial habitats that follow aesthetic expectations about nature rather than purely natural conditions, as the sociologist David Grazian argues in his book American Z
