Birkbeck Institutional Research Online

Abstract

From the earliest human cultures, nonhuman animals have been central to the sexual imaginary of humans. This article traces the modern history of bestiality from the nineteenth century, culminating in ‘zoo’ communities today. It explores the changing ideas about the ‘wrongness’ of such acts. It asks: what do human–animal sexual relations tell us about gender, sexuality, violence, psychiatry and concepts of consent? What are the possibilities for humans and nonhuman animals becoming true ‘companion species’?

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