ABSTRACT
Ideas of nation and nationhood in the modern world are the product of a number of forces, currents, and trends, whether political, economic, social, intellectual, cultural, or natural. Often overlooked as an influence shaping national identities are animals. This chapter argues that the formation of national identities and modern breeds were intertwined and mutually dependent processes and that sharing territory was fundamental for both. Live domestic animals are bona fide artefacts of human culture as they have been, both consciously and unconsciously, shaped by people not simply to meet material needs but also to express tastes, aspirations, and various forms of social identity. The chapter also examines three different theories that have been offered to account for the origins of the Hungarian Grey. Breed and nation are analogous modern concepts applied anachronistically, yet human and animal identities influenced one another while these categories were emerging and long before they became more or less fixed in their modern meanings.
