Zootopia ― Book review of David Grazian's 'American Zoo'
Times Literary Supplement, May 18, 2016
University at Buffalo School of Law Legal Studies Research Paper. 2016-023
2 Pages Posted: 27 May 2016
Date Written: May 18, 2016
Abstract
Although there are plenty of books about zoos, zoo ethnographies are a rare treat. Inspired by Erving Goffman’s ethnographic fieldwork method, David Grazian (who teaches in the same department as the late influential sociologist) invites readers on a “sociological safari” to understand “the social and cultural world of the American metropolitan zoo”. Grazian excels in Goffmanesque immersive interactions, especially with the underpaid female keepers and educators at the zoo, whose difficult and “dirty” work he is clearly inspired by.
Keywords: American Zoos, Immersive Ethnography, Anthropocene
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