Feminism in the Wild - How Human Biases Shape Our Understanding of Animal Behavior

How dominant culture--from sexism and homophobia to racism, capitalism, ableism, and more--has limited the science of animal behavior, and how we can free ourselves from these limited perspectives. In Drawing from decades of feminist, antiracist, queer, disability justice, and Marxist contributions--including those of biologists--Kamath and Packer break down persistent assumptions in the status quo of animal behavior science and offer a multitude of alternative approaches. Core concepts in animal behavior science and evolutionary biology--from sex categories and sexual selection to fitness, adaptation, biological determinism and more--are carefully contextualized and critically reexamined. This unique collaboration between an animal behavior scientist and a feminist science studies scholar is an illuminating and hopeful read for anyone who is curious about how animals behave, and anyone who wants to break free from scientific approaches that perpetuate systems of oppression.

About the author

Ambika Kamath is trained as a behavioral ecologist and evolutionary biologist. She lives, works, and grows community in Oakland, California, on Ohlone land.

Melina Packer is Assistant Professor of Race, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, on Ho-Chunk Nation land. She is the author of Toxic Sexual Politics: Toxicology, Environmental Poisons, and Queer Feminist Futures.

Product details

• Authors: Ambika Kamath, Melina Packer
• Publisher: The MIT Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 04.03.2025
• EAN: 9780262049634
• ISBN: 978-0-262-04963-4
• No. of pages: 208
• Dimensions: 152 mm x 229 mm x 15 mm
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Biology > Zoology; Social sciences, law, business > Sociology > Sociological theories; SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Biology, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Feminism & Feminist Theory, Biology, life sciences, Feminism and feminist theory, Ethology and animal behaviour