Wildlife in Asia: Cultural Perspectives

Animals assume a cultural importance throughout, Asia. Tigers, monkeys, wild pigs and other animals feature in Asian proverbs, myths, religion, art and literature, while many parts of Asia great cultural emphasis is placed on wild animals as a source of natural energy and health-giving vitality. But animals are also seen as a threat, both to human livelihoods and to human safety. This book provides a rich and diverse collection of case studies of human representations of, and relationships with wild animals in Asia. Drawing on anthropological and historical data, this book examines human-wildlife relations in China, Tibet, Japan, Bhutan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, India, Thailand and Vietnam. The volume initially focuses on the various ways in which wild animals are exploited as a resource, for food, medicine and crop-picking labor, before examining animals termed as pests or predators that are deemed to be harmful and dangerous. Bringing together anthropologists and historians, this bookanalyzes the range, variability and historical mutability of human sensibilities towards animals in Asia and will be of interest to Asianists and anthropologists alike.