Huggan, GDM (2017) Killers: Orcas and Their Followers. Public Culture, 29 (2 (82)). pp. 287-309. ISSN 0899-2363
Abstract
Orcas are among the world’s most charismatic animals, combining grace and power, violent when they need to be, but rarely toward humans and never in the wild. Attacks on humans have been restricted to captive orcas, opening up widespread discussions on the ethics of marine-mammal captivity and prompting major changes to the North American orca-display industry, as represented by corporate giants such as SeaWorld. Orcas are now more likely to be followed online than watched either in captivity or in the wild, with some individual orcas becoming celebrity targets for activist campaigning. This article assesses some of the different ways that orcas are being “followed” today, showing how the figure of the celebrity orca offers an opportunity to reflect both on the performative nature of celebrity and on the continuing human exploitation of performing animals, which is tied in with the depredations of the modern corporate world.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2017 by Duke University Press. This is an author produced version of a paper published in Public Culture. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | celebrity; followers; killer whales/orcas; SeaWorld |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of English (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 04 Mar 2016 16:12 |
Last Modified: | 16 Sep 2020 10:51 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Duke University Press |
Identification Number: | 10.1215/08992363-3749069 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:95549 |