ABSTRACT
Recent research has suggested that the dualistic oppositions between people and animals have to be transcended before a more sophisticated understanding of society can be reached (Wolch and Emel 1995). Within this framework the reconceptualisation of animals in their own right has led to studies that demonstrate the importance of animals to human activities. In particular, both popular and scientifi c anthropomorphic representations are deconstructed as part of the investigation into the, ‘continuing struggle between differentially empowered groups to defi ne and represent the “true” meanings and values of wildlife and habitats’ (Burgess 1993: 52). In this chapter, I seek to extend this recent area of research by focusing on the importance of tiger hunting in India as a leisure pursuit for the reproduction and maintenance of the British colonial State.
