Back to Nature: Authentic Animal Encounters

Researcher: Prof Chilla Bulbeck

Published as Facing the Wild (Earthscan, London, 2004), this is the first serious empirical examination of why people seek out animals in their natural environment. My present research in this area, conducted with Sandra Bowdler, explores the debate between Greenpeace and the Faroese concerning the annual pilot whale hunt in the Faroese. After opposing it fervently in the early 1980s, Greenpeace has withdrawn its opposition. The research analyses the processes by which the conversation between Greenpeace and the Faroese reached this resolution, exploring the meaning of ‘traditional’ hunting methods and comparing this example with others where confrontation continues.