About this item
“Buzz is a fascinating reminder of the interconnections between humans and animals, even in that most urban of environments, New York City.”—Gary Alan Fine, author of Authors of the Storm: Meteorologists and the Culture of Prediction Bees are essential for human survival—one-third of all food on American dining tables depends on the labor of bees. Beyond pollination, the very idea of the bee is ubiquitous in our culture: we can feel buzzed; we can create buzz; we have worker bees, drones, and Queen bees; we establish collectives and even have communities that share a hive-mind. In Buzz, authors Lisa Jean Moore and Mary Kosut convincingly argue that the power of bees goes beyond the food cycle, bees are our mascots, our models, and, unlike any other insect, are both feared and revered.
About the Author
I am a feminist medical sociologist and professor at Purchase College, State University of New York. I live in Crown Heights, Brooklyn with my three daughters ages 19, 17, and 8. We also live with two dogs (shelter mixed breeds from North Shore Animal League) , a lovely cat named Pigeon, and four bee hives on our roof. My work examines human bodies, body parts and fluids in sociocultural contexts. I have written about human sperm, genital anatomy, and human breast milk.
For three years, Mary Kosut and I worked together studying urban beekeepers and bees in New York City. Buzz: Urban Beekeeping and the Power of the Bee was published in November, 2013.
My newest animal studies project is about Atlantic Horseshoe Crabs entitled Catch and Release: The Enduring, yet Vulnerable, Horseshoe Crab and is now available i from New York University Press.
