Surprise Castle
Dogs Save: Stories of Canine Redemption in Us Culture

Dogs Save: Stories of Canine Redemption in Us Culture - Paperback

$30.00
Quantity
01

Pay over time for orders over $35.00 with

Availability:In StockContributor:Katharine MershonSeries:Critical Perspectives on Animals: Theory, Culture, Science,Publish date:4/21/2026Pages:256
Language:EnglishPublisher:Columbia University PressISBN-13:9780231206976ISBN-10:231206976UPC:9780231206976Book Category:Nature, Religion, Social ScienceBook Subcategory:Animal Rights, Christianity, Sociology of ReligionBook Topic:Literature & the ArtsSize:8.50 x 5.50 x 0.58 inchesWeight:0.6614Product ID:SCQ71NBRBA

Stories about people and dogs saving one another are everywhere in US culture--on TV, in Hollywood movies, on social media, and even on bumper stickers. Yet these seemingly heartwarming stories of mutual rescue revolve around redemption through suffering, a narrative profoundly interwoven with Christian beliefs, white racial anxieties, and US national myths.

Katharine Mershon examines the unacknowledged religious underpinnings of stories about dogs, revealing deeply rooted cultural assumptions about who can be saved and how redemption ought to occur. She identifies the "canine redemption narrative" as the defining cultural script for the stories people in the United States tell about dogs and, in turn, the nation. Exposing unexamined assumptions about the relationships between people and dogs, Mershon sheds light on the central place of animals and religion in defining racial boundaries.

Dogs Save considers examples including the Michael Vick dogfighting case; Samuel Fuller's controversial B-movie White Dog; the TV show The Dog Whisperer, from the celebrity dog trainer Cesar Millan; Laurie Anderson's film Heart of a Dog; and Eileen Myles's Afterglow (a dog memoir). Bringing together religious studies and animal studies, this book shows that redemption narratives shape who is allowed to survive and thrive in US society.

Language:EnglishPublisher:Columbia University PressISBN-13:9780231206976ISBN-10:231206976UPC:9780231206976Book Category:Nature, Religion, Social ScienceBook Subcategory:Animal Rights, Christianity, Sociology of ReligionBook Topic:Literature & the ArtsSize:8.50 x 5.50 x 0.58 inchesWeight:0.6614Product ID:SCQ71NBRBA
Katharine Mershon is assistant professor of philosophy and religion at Western Carolina University.
Publisher: Columbia University Press

Free shipping on orders over $75. Standard shipping takes 3-7 business days. Returns accepted within 30 days of purchase.

Recently Viewed

View All