Feminism in the Wild

Ambika Kamath is trained as a behavioral ecologist and evolutionary biologist. She lives, works, and grows community in Oakland, California, on Ohlone land.Melina Packer is Assistant Professor of Race, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, on Ho-Chunk Nation land. She is the author of Toxic Sexual Politics: Toxicology, Environmental Poisons, and Queer Feminist Futures.

• Prologue: Why We Need a Feminist Science of Animal BehaviorChapter 1: The Stories We Tell About Animals Chapter 2: Variation Matters Chapter 3: The Problems with SexChapter 4: Queer Feminist Futures for Animal Sex Science Chapter 5: You and Me, Us and Them Chapter 6: Hiding in Plain Sight Chapter 7: Breaking the Hierarchies that Bind Epilogue: All That Can Change

"Kamath and Packer explore how science has long projected human norms onto animal behavior and use feminist, queer and disability theories to challenge this oppressive practice." —Ms. "A very important, fascinating, and wide-ranging book."—Psychology TodayEndorsements;“I devoured this book in a day; it’s a fascinating insight into the insidious effect of cultural bias. Smart and stimulating, Feminism in the Wild forces the reader to reconsider the lens through which we view the natural world. I highly recommend it.”—Lucy Cooke, zoologist; documentary filmmaker; author of BITCH: On the Female of the Species“A wonderful exploration of animal biology using the power of interdisciplinary thinking. Rich in detail, it is funny, accessible, engaging, persuasive, and powerful. This is glorious storytelling and a tour de force!”—Banu Subramaniam, Luella LaMer Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies, Wellesley College; author of The Botany of Empire and Ghost Stories for Darwin“Feminism in the Wild brilliantly unravels the oppressive societal views entrenched in mainstream science, instead articulating an expansive scientific practice that feels not only ethical but liberatory. The most transformative scientific book I’ve ever read.”—Sabrina Imbler, science writer; author of How Far the Light Reaches“A must-read for anyone working to understand our fellow creatures. Every chapter had me questioning assumptions, turning over paradigms, and—most of all—looking forward to what comes next.”—Cara Giaimo, science journalist; coauthor of Atlas Obscura: Wild Life“Clear, engagingly written, and provocative. A worthy successor to Levins and Lewontin’s The Dialectical Biologist.”—Jonathan Losos, William H. Danforth Distinguished University Professor, Washington University in Saint Louis; author of The Cat’s Meow: How Cats Evolved from the Savanna to Your Sofa“Every student of animal behavior—from curious children to professional zoologists—should read this book. It makes plain the forces that have skewed our understanding of what animals do, and gives us a foundation upon which we can build a better science.”—Ed Yong, author of An Immense World and I Contain Multitudes“The Dialectical Biologist meets Donna Haraway, rich with observation, Feminism in the Wild mobilizes feminist and queer challenges to scientific reductionism and conformism to reveal a lushly complex natural world. A book I’ve been waiting for.”—Gabriel Winant, Associate Professor of History, University of Chicago; author of The Next Shift: The Fall of Industry and the Rise of Health Care in Rust Belt America“Bright, poetic, and bristling with possibility, Feminism in the Wild turns over the rock on traditional zoology to point out the remarkable things hidden beneath. This book is a revelatory, thought-provoking journey into how cultural assumptions shape our study of the natural world.”—Asher Elbein, author; science journalist“If you’re struggling to understand how human biases creep into science, or how to bring your feminist ideals into your scientific practice, Feminism in the Wild is the guidebook you need.”—Nicole C. Nelson, Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin–Madison; author of Model Behavior: Animal Experiments, Complexity, and the Genetics of Psychiatric Disorders“Feminism in the Wild does not provide easy answers but by moving across evolutionary biology, queer, and feminist studies, it opens your mind to new ways of thinking. An essential read for scholars interested in diverse approaches in biology.”—Damian Octavio Elias, Professor, University of California, Berkeley