The rights of the defenseless
Subtitle: protecting animals and children in gilded age America
By: Susan J. Pearson
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Published: 2011
Place of publication: Chicago
Language: eng
Number of pages: 260
ISBN-13: 9780226652016
Subjects: Child welfare; Animal rights; History
Description: In this work, Pearson seeks to understand the institutional, cultural, legal, and political significance of the perceived bond between animals and children, and the attempts made to protect them.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 201-248) and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction: the legend of Mary Ellen Wilson; title: "The child is an animal": domesticity, discipline, and the logic of joint protection; title: "A relic of barbarism": cruelty, civilization, and social order; title: "The rights of whatever can suffer": reconciling liberalism and dependence; title: "The dove has claws": sympathy and state power; title: Conclusion: from cruelty to child welfare.