What It Means to Be Human: Historical Reflections on What It Means to Be Human, 1791 to the Present - Hardcover

Bourke, Joanna

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9781844086443: What It Means to Be Human: Historical Reflections on What It Means to Be Human, 1791 to the Present

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1844086445 ISBN 13: 9781844086443

Publisher: Virago Press (UK), 2011

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In 1872, a woman known only as 'An Earnest Englishwoman', published an open letter entitled 'Are women animals?' She protested that women were not treated as fully human; their status was worse than that of animals.

What does it mean to be 'human' rather than 'animal'? If the Earnest Englishwoman had turned her gaze to the previous century, her critique could have applied to slaves. Exploring the legacy of more than two centuries, this meticulously researched and illuminating book of history examines the ever shifting line drawn between the human and the animal.

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About the Author:

Joanna Bourke is a professor of history at Birkbeck College in London. Her book An Intimate History of Killing received critical acclaim, winning the Wolfson History Prize.

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