Loving Animals: On Bestiality, Zoophilia and Post-Human Love

Renowned historian Joanna Bourke explores the modern history of bestiality

Sex with animals is one of the last taboos but, for a practice that is generally regarded as abhorrent, it is remarkable how many books, films, plays, paintings, and photographs depict the subject. So, what does loving animals mean?

In this book the renowned historian Joanna Bourke explores the modern history of sex between humans and animals. Bourke looks at the changing meanings of ‘bestiality’ and ‘zoophilia,’ assesses the psychiatric and sexual aspects, and she concludes by delineating an ethics of animal loving.

‘An important and thought-provoking book…Bourke’s deft yet bold handling of this topic opens a vast and ethically freighted vista.’ - Dr Louise Hide, Birkbeck, University of London