The Cultural Politics of Fur

Margaret Kechnie teaches in the Women’s Studies Program at Thorneloe
College, Laurentian University, and is the co-editor of Changing Lives:
Women in Northern Ontario.

This challenging and complex study explores the ways in which fur
provides society with symbolic representations of class, gender, and
cultural conflicts. The author leaves aside questions about the
relationship between the economic history of fur and the demands of the
fashion industry. Rather, her goal is to trace “the material and
symbolic modes of differentiation in the cultural history of fur.” The
material value and social significance of fur is considered in the
context of a range of modes, including literary works and visual
representations. Emberley argues that the symbolic production of fur
cannot be separated from questions of desire, such as the way fur is
seen as a sexual fetish or the rise of the fur coat as a feminine
fashion commodity in the 20th century. This compelling study will spark
considerable debate and discussion.