History Lecturer Abraham Gibson recently published a book titled Feral Animals in the American South: An Evolutionary History. He answered a few questions about his research.
What drew you to write about animals and humans in the American South?
There is something inherently fascinating about animals, especially domestic animals. They are obviously sentient and often intelligent. Some are privy to the most intimate aspects of our personal lives, while others exist solely to be eaten. I wanted to learn more about this paradox, so I set out to study the history of domestic animals. I quickly learned that some domestic animals live in the wild, apart from people, and that these animals are technically called “feral.” I knew that any history of domestic animals must also account for feral animals as a shadow population. I chose the American South because social, cultural, and ecological factors have helped foster large populations of feral animals in the region for hundreds of years.
What was the most surprising thing you learned while researching?
I was surprised that animal history taught me so much about human history. Domestic animals have had a front-row seat to the human procession for thousands of years. They have witnessed the most important events in human history, and recovering their lost history helps recover some of our own. Studying animals in the past also gave me new perspective on animals in the present. I was surprised to learn that millions of feral pigs roam the South, and that their population has more than doubled over the past 25 years. I was surprised to learn that scattered bands of feral horses still also roam parts of the South, from mountaintops to barrier islands. I was surprised to learn how many communities in the South, and the nation, euthanize dogs every single day.
What role does your research have in the future of humans and domestic animals?
That remains to be seen. Others have written about the evolutionary effects of domestication (Michael Pollan and Edmund Russell, for example). I hope my book reminds people that the history of animals is no more uniform than the history of people, and that major differences exist among species and, for that matter, among populations within species. This obviously has major implications for animals, but it has major implications for people as well.
Will you be teaching about your research in any of your courses?
I am currently teaching “Environmental History,” and we spend a fair amount of time talking about the role of animals in human societies over the past several millennia. Now that I think about it, my students are probably sick of hearing about animals.
What is one thing you want readers to learn from your book?
When I began this project, my interest in animals was purely intellectual. The more I learn about their critical place in human history, the more I realize we have an obligation to do right by them. It can be done because it has been done. Each new generation has reshaped animal populations to suit their whims, and that means we can shape a new future that affords dignity to other animals. I don’t know what the correct policy looks like, but I think it begins with telling their story.