January 27, 2016

Animals and their By-Products: More than Just Resources

Aleksa Alaica

What is an animal? How are animals used beyond sources of food? What makes animals so integral to our understanding of the world and of ourselves, and what research is being done to address issues that impact animals? This talk will explore the social, political and ideological significance of animals and how we are coming to terms with their presence as beings that are more than just exploitable.

About the Presenter

Aleksa is a third year PhD candidate in Anthropology. She is interested in pre-Columbian ideologies surrounding animals and their capacity to be used for political and ritual purposes. Her current research takes place in the Jequetepeque Valley of Peru at the Late Moche site of Huaca Colorada, where she is studying the faunal remains and animal iconography to better understand how animals were used and perceived in the past. Her research is made possible by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada Doctoral Fellowship and the continued collaboration with Peruvian colleagues. She hopes to one day undertake more in-depth ethnographic research on the traditional uses of camelids and guinea pig on the North Coast of Peru.