UMass Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press

Hunters and Hunting in Contemporary America

Book Jacket: "Mortal Stakes" by J. A. Dizard

Jan E. Dizard

An illuminating study of who hunts and why

Each autumn, millions of men and increasing numbers of women don camouflage or blaze orange outfits and go afield in pursuit of game. For much of American history, there was no need to explain why they did this. Hunting was simply another aspect of the annual cycle of planting, breeding, and harvesting. But modern hunting began separating from its agrarian roots well over a century ago, and although it has retained its connection to the metaphor of the harvest, the self-perceptions and motives of hunters today are no longer transparent, especially to nonhunters. Indeed, hunting—and those who hunt—have become targets of a vocal and growing array of critics.

In Mortal Stakes, Jan E. Dizard examines the place of hunting in contemporary America. Drawing on detailed interviews with hunters as well as opinion surveys and demographic statistics, he analyzes the meanings these men and women attach to hunting and situates this traditional activity in its current setting. He looks at who hunts, how they compare socially and politically with nonhunters, and how they see themselves and are seen by others.

With fewer and fewer Americans closely linked to the land, hunting seems less ordinary and less necessary. As the gulf between hunters and nonhunters widens, hunters have begun to think of themselves as a minority group which, like other minorities, suffers from prejudice and stereotyping. As a result, Dizard argues, hunting is fast becoming one more front in an expanding "culture war" over what it means to be an American.

"A substantial contribution to the ever growing field of writing about hunting. One of the strengths of the book is Dizard's insistence on presenting hunting—his own and other people's—warts and all. He doesn't shy away from taking on some tough ethical and emotional issues—issues a lot of writing about hunting either skirts or downplays."

Mary Zeiss Stange, author of Woman the Hunter
"For those honestly searching for the place of the hunt in an evolving society, this book offers exceptional insight into who all those folks armed in the forest are and why they are out there."

Jim Posewitz, author of Inherit the Hunt:
A Journey into the Heart of American Hunting

Jan E. Dizard is Charles Hamilton Houston Professor of American Culture at Amherst College.

Environmental Studies / American Studies / Sociology
240 pp.
$70.00s library cloth edition, ISBN 1-55849-365-4
$22.95s paper, ISBN 1-55849-384-0
February 2003
To order the paperback edition online, click on "ADD TO CART"
To order either edition by mail or fax, click here for an order form

Going Wild
Hunting, Animal Rights, and the Contested
Meaning of Nature
Revised and Expanded Edition
"In an agile, well-focused narrative, Dizard explores the intellectual machinations justifying the hunt while delineating the underpinnings of how we view nature. . . . Should nature be seen as a self-balancing harmony or a challenge to use and dominate? Who decides what is wild? In short, is wildlife management an oxymoron? For those arming with arguments from both sides, this book is indeed mind-stretching and valuable."— Publishers Weekly

Environmental Studies / American Studies
248 pp.
LC 99-17091
$22.95s paper, ISBN 1-55849-190-2
To order this book click here

about placing orders on our secure server
ADD TO CART | VIEW CART | CHECKOUT