Qu’est-ce qu’une « race animale pure » ?

In France, studies on farm animal breeding in various disciplines (anthropology, sociology, history, zootechny, etc.) extensively use the notion of “race”. However, the technical process of race construction has hardly been considered so far. Our analysis of the case of the Bordelaise breed (deemed...

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Main Authors: Patricia Pellegrini, Marie-Dominique Ribereau-Gayon
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Laboratoire Éco-anthropologie et Ethnobiologie 2014-06-01
Series:Revue d'ethnoécologie
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/ethnoecologie/1680
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author Patricia Pellegrini
Marie-Dominique Ribereau-Gayon
author_facet Patricia Pellegrini
Marie-Dominique Ribereau-Gayon
author_sort Patricia Pellegrini
collection DOAJ
description In France, studies on farm animal breeding in various disciplines (anthropology, sociology, history, zootechny, etc.) extensively use the notion of “race”. However, the technical process of race construction has hardly been considered so far. Our analysis of the case of the Bordelaise breed (deemed extinct since WW2 and under reconstruction since the 1990s) shows how the local bovine population was established as a race and its standard defined and modified throughout the 19th c. Commonsense usually explains the homogeneity of some groups of animals by their adaptation both to their environment and to human practices. Our purpose here is, on the contrary, to evidence that the concepts of “race” and “pure race” actually mask a deliberate, minute and elaborate process of selection. For example, cattle’s physical features can be modified at will through the system of factors for qualitative and quantitative selection criteria. When extended to the extreme, the process of assessment and selection of individuals leads to inadequacy and extinction.Note that, for lack of equivalent for “breed” in French, the notion of “race” is far more extensive than in English. Consequently, the reference to biological races is much weaker in English than in French.
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spelling doaj-art-93125086421c440887ee6287367c77f22025-02-05T16:25:26ZengLaboratoire Éco-anthropologie et EthnobiologieRevue d'ethnoécologie2267-24192014-06-01510.4000/ethnoecologie.1680Qu’est-ce qu’une « race animale pure » ?Patricia PellegriniMarie-Dominique Ribereau-GayonIn France, studies on farm animal breeding in various disciplines (anthropology, sociology, history, zootechny, etc.) extensively use the notion of “race”. However, the technical process of race construction has hardly been considered so far. Our analysis of the case of the Bordelaise breed (deemed extinct since WW2 and under reconstruction since the 1990s) shows how the local bovine population was established as a race and its standard defined and modified throughout the 19th c. Commonsense usually explains the homogeneity of some groups of animals by their adaptation both to their environment and to human practices. Our purpose here is, on the contrary, to evidence that the concepts of “race” and “pure race” actually mask a deliberate, minute and elaborate process of selection. For example, cattle’s physical features can be modified at will through the system of factors for qualitative and quantitative selection criteria. When extended to the extreme, the process of assessment and selection of individuals leads to inadequacy and extinction.Note that, for lack of equivalent for “breed” in French, the notion of “race” is far more extensive than in English. Consequently, the reference to biological races is much weaker in English than in French.https://journals.openedition.org/ethnoecologie/1680anthropologydomesticherd-bookbreed/raceselectionbordelaise breed
spellingShingle Patricia Pellegrini
Marie-Dominique Ribereau-Gayon
Qu’est-ce qu’une « race animale pure » ?
Revue d'ethnoécologie
anthropology
domestic
herd-book
breed/race
selection
bordelaise breed
title Qu’est-ce qu’une « race animale pure » ?
title_full Qu’est-ce qu’une « race animale pure » ?
title_fullStr Qu’est-ce qu’une « race animale pure » ?
title_full_unstemmed Qu’est-ce qu’une « race animale pure » ?
title_short Qu’est-ce qu’une « race animale pure » ?
title_sort qu est ce qu une race animale pure
topic anthropology
domestic
herd-book
breed/race
selection
bordelaise breed
url https://journals.openedition.org/ethnoecologie/1680
work_keys_str_mv AT patriciapellegrini questcequuneraceanimalepure
AT mariedominiqueribereaugayon questcequuneraceanimalepure