Voices of the seal hunt: communicating our views of animals and ourselves
Abstract
The controversy over the killing of seals on the ice floes off of Atlantic Canada
continues to be a very heated, socio-political and moral debate. Sealers’ activities
first came under intense public scrutiny in the early 1960s with the broadcast of
a television documentary showing graphic footage of seals being clubbed. Since that
time, the “seal war” has become an emotional war of words and images fought primarily
via media outlets. This paper focuses on analyzing the content of public opinions
as published in Canadian news sources. The aim was to elucidate the relevant arguments
and delineate the major concerns of each “side” to the conflict. The language used
was closely examined. Through this type of inquiry, it is hoped that underlying causes
of the disagreement and apparent impasse may be discovered so that a more informed,
respectful, and meaningful discourse may someday take place. The results showed that
improved communication will be critically important if we are ever to change the status
quo which is endless protest, endless backlash, and endless sealing.
The paper is divided into three general sections. Section I gives important background
information, without which the issue cannot be adequately understood. A synopsis of
the pertinent legal and policy framework is also included. Section II establishes
theories and perspectives on the human treatment of non-human animals, explores how
our conceptions are conditioned both socially and through the very language we employ,
and sets the tone for further inquiry by relating these ideas to the Canadian seal
hunt. Section III uses content analysis to explore seal hunt opinion. One interpretation
regarding the root of this controversy is offered. The central thesis is that human
beings ultimately accept varying treatments of “others” in direct relation to how
they perceive themselves and their own status in the world around them.
Type
Master's projectPermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/54Citation
Sturn, Terra Magdalen (2006). Voices of the seal hunt: communicating our views of animals and ourselves. Master's project, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/54.Collections
More Info
Show full item record
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Rights for Collection: Nicholas School of the Environment
Works are deposited here by their authors, and represent their research and opinions, not that of Duke University. Some materials and descriptions may include offensive content. More info